Comments on: Georgia Water Coalition Urges Passage Of HB552 In New Ads

By: ruraldweller

ruraldweller — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:25:44 +0000

ASR is not what engineers claim it is cracked up to be. There are a host of problems associated with this technology if you are concerned about keeping water safe for human consumption.

I live in Southeast Georgia and my family depends upon a well for our drinking water. Water in the Floridan Auqifer is cleaner that any chemically treated drinking water and I want it to stay that way.

No sound reason for ASR has been established in Georgia that outweighs the value of free, clean, pure drinking water straight out of the ground.

ASR is an engineer’s technology to fix something in Georgia that’s not really broke.

The first time I recall hearing of this rechnology was when a company wanted to use it to avoid the cost of building above-ground water tanks.

By: lacigoloegordyH

lacigoloegordyH — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:49:57 +0000

ASR – note that the “R” stands for “Recovery” – it means pumping it back out. What the opponents are saying doesn’t make sense. Why would you want to take contaminated water back out? You wouldn’t. They are talking about just injection and indefinite storage of waste. On the contrary, ASR is about injecting water that has been treated to the point where it meets EPA and State water quality standards such that it is drinkable. It is almost always cleaner going in than the natural water quality of the aquifers into which it is being injected. It is also using water that is taken from surface reservoirs during flood periods, when water is abundant, and extracting/using it during dry periods, thereby lessening the need and impacts of withdrawals on streams, surface water bodies, and all down stream users during droughts. This has many benefits, not only to GA but to AL and FL. Shouldn’t the river keeper interests support this as it lessens impacts on rivers? Injecting water into aquifers also protects against over-draughting (which is occurring throughout the coastal plain areas right now) and prevents salt water intrusion into coastal aquifers. The benefits are tremendous. The risks can be addressed and avoided with proper regulations. This has already been done successfully elsewhere.

By: joe

joe — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:08:12 +0000

I lived in Savannah for 10 years, and we regularly heard about the depletion of the aquifer. Pumping clean water into it seems like a very good way to prevent drought problems.

By: GG

GG — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:39:11 +0000

Don’t panic this bill only has to do with the Floridan aquifer. “(7) No well or borehole shall be drilled or used for the purpose of injecting any surface water into the Floridan aquifer in any county governed by the Georgia coastal zone management program provided by Code Section 12-5-327 before July 1, 2014.” North Georgia feel free to do what you wish with your drinking water. But I for one don’t want treated water injected into a clean aquifer.

By: aquaman

aquaman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:07:08 +0000

lacigoloegordyH

Well said; they are misleading because the facts are not important, only winning for their cause is important.

By: lacigoloegordyH

lacigoloegordyH — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:19:20 +0000

One piece of info that seems to not be being stated by the opposition to ASR is that there is a type of ASR that is very appropriate and environmentally responsible. It is injection of clean, uncontaminated, and fully drinkable water into aquifers simply for storage purposes which can then be extacted up to years later for use when needed. Hundreds of millions of gallons can be stored in one area, up to a billion or more sometimes. One ASR system could provide literally millions of gallons per day for months. It is a GREAT and PROVEN technology for water resources management. It is far less costly than reservoirs, not prone to evaporative losses, takes up less land, it is even much more secure from contamination. This type of ASR has absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with injecting any type of polluted water into an otherwise uncontaminated aquifer. This technology would undoubtedly help many parts of GA deal with water shortages and get through drought periods. It just must be used properly, which it could very well be in many places in the great state of GA. If folks are worried about putting “polluted water” into the aquifers, why don’t the politicians craft specific verbiage that prohibits just that – and only that. On a side note, have you seen the recent ads? Talk about trying to instill fear! The ads are not even close to accurately representing the type of ASR I am talking about. Why are they so misleading?

By: aquaman

aquaman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:23:19 +0000

ASR (aquifer storage and recovery) is NOT injecting lesser quality water into an aquifer containing drinking quality water. It certainly is NOT a method of waste disposal. An engineering solution to water scarcity issues; each ASR project should be judged on its individual merits. The Georgia legislature has no business excluding a technology used successfully around the world with HB552. The opposition isn’t about aquifer protection it is about controlling growth.

By: aprilringle

aprilringle — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:41:09 +0000

Great questions and comments.

Our well water is the cleanest sources of drinking water we have. It doesn’t make sense to inject chemically treated sewage or river water into our well water.

Andre is right – this is an option that has been put on the table in Liberty County.

The legislature has banned the practice for 10 years now because of concerns. Right now they are considering a bill that will ban it for another 5. What we really need is a permanent ban.

By: Andre

Andre — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:06:31 +0000

Chris,

That is a very good question.

Apparently, ASR has been proposed as an alternative to dispose of chemically treated sewage in Liberty County.

Why such a proposal would even be given the time of day makes no sense to me.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:42:37 +0000

Why would someone want to pump treated water into the ground? Why not push it into resoviours, or send it down stream to Florida’s nuclear mussels?