The water to be pumped underground comes from polluted Lake Okeechobee and the surrounding sugar, dairy, and vegetable farms. Federal standards require that any water injected into ASR wells be treated first, to kill contaminants that might pollute the aquifer. To save money, the governor wants to relax the rules and allow the water to exceed standards for bacteria and coliform, which comes from human and animal waste. The change would apply to the whole state, opening the way for hundreds of new ASR wells that would otherwise violate drinking water standards. Proponents contend the bacteria will die off naturally in the ASR wells, although they cannot explain why.
Geologists say the theory is unproven.
Even some staunch Bush supporters like state Rep. Nancy Argenziano, R-Crystal River, are uneasy about pumping polluted water into the aquifer. On Jan. 19, the EPA's regional director, John Henry Hankinson, wrote to state officials to raise similar concerns. It's become kind of a blueprint for how he would like to see departments interact with states. In the letter, the governor outlined programs in which he said federal agencies were hampering the state and specifically mentioned the ASR problem. Hankinson, who is no longer with the EPA, could not be reached for comment Friday.