Assignment
The Florida Everglades is considered a national treasure. Golder is working with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the local sponsor for a federal program called the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (CERP). CERP is a $7.8 billion plan and the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world.

Our Role
In cooperation with other agencies, an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project has been developed that pumps surface water into the deep Floridan aquifer for storage during times of surplus. When surface water is scarce, the stored water is recovered and replenishes the canal system. On the road to implementation, several technical uncertainties to the proposed ASR system, including potential changes in water quality and the effects of those changes on aquatic ecosystems, were identified and local-scale (pilot project) and regional-scale scientific studies were designed to address them. Golder was contracted by the SFWMD to develop a regional ASR ecotoxicology program to address potential regional ecological risks, including aquatic toxicity, bioaccumulation potential, and surface water impacts.