Orange County, Florida, through its Sewer and Water Department, own fifty active and ten inactive water treatment plants. These treatment plants have a total of ninety-four supply wells, sixty-four of which are actually in service. Most of these wells were obtained through purchase from private or investor owned utility companies. A file search was undertaken from records of the Orange County Sewer and Water Department, U.S. Geological Survey, former water system owners, and well drillers in order to compile all available information on these wells. Information was gathered on location, original drilling of the well, static water level and pumping tests, chemical and bacteriological quality of the water, and most recent pump, motor and auxiliary engine. This information was recorded on a date form for each well, with the well geographically categorized into five areas throughout the County. For each geographical area, mean, high and low values were determined for well and casing depth; static water level; well flow, specific pumping capacity and other flow type parameters; and various water quality parameters, such as total dissolved solids, chloride, sulfide, iron, alkalinity, and hardness concentrations. These were then compared to each other to see if any patterns could be established for wells in various areas of the County. Comparisons were also made to recorded piezometric surface levels of the Floridan Aquifer and to information in available literature on wells in the Orange County area. The comparisons indicated wells were slightly shallower in the wester part of the County than in the eastern part. Depth to static water level generally increased as you progressed from east to west, with the highest MSL elevations occurring in the southwest. Specific well capacity was greatest in the westerly area. Total dissolved solids content of the wells was much higher than that predicted by the literature, and hardness, iron and sulfide values were higher in the east than in the west.

Techniques for performance optimization and energy reduction were reviewed for application to water supply plants. Simple techniques were developed which permit intelligent management decisions for plant operation growth. The techniques were applied to the Wewahootee Water Supply Plant, Cocoa, Florida. Optimum performance for the existing plant was determined together with a growth plan for reducing energy consumption and increasing the maximum flow capacity to meet demand through the year 2000. The following recommendations were made: 1. Plant operators should incorporate the optimized pump operation schedule presented herein. 2. Four existing pumps should be modified for dual speed operation, and a large capacity dual speed pump should be added. 3. One 10,400 foot section should be added to the 42-inch pipe by 1985 and a second section by 1990. 4. An economic analysis should be performed to determine if it is advantageous to accelerate installation of the 42-inch pipe. 5. The use of stored water should be considered to smooth the flow demands placed on the pumps.

This paper presents the results of the spike tests performed in the alternative water supply pilot testing program for the City of Pembroke Pines. It establishes the effectiveness of a protocol that can be used to gain further insight on the rejection capacities of RO membranes. An in-depth study of the molecular descriptors affecting rejection by RO membranes is presented and used in the development of a discriminant function analysis. This analysis proved to be an effective way to predict the passage of Emerging Substances of Concern (ESOCs) through RO membrane. Further, a principal component (PC) analysis was performed to determine which factors accounted the largest variation in RO permeability. Additionally, this paper defines the groundwork for a discriminant analysis model that, if further developed, could serve as an important tool to predict the rejection capabilities of RO treatment when handling with ESOCs. / by Fernando J. Pleitez Herrera. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Water conservation initiatives seldom quantify the volume of water that is at stake in lawn watering. In many communities, including those in South Florida, outdoor water use, which includes lawn irrigation, is not metered separately from indoor water use and is indistinguishable from indoor water usage. A large number of residents use self supply non-potable wells for lawn irrigation that are not regulated by the South Florida Water Management District. The result is that residential lawn water use is difficult to account for and quantify. This thesis project addressed these difficulties by combining semistructured interviews, daily watering observations and irrigation system audits to ascertain how much public supply water and self supply (well) water was being used for residential lawn irrigation. The study also examined lawn watering practices and how factors such as: precipitation, the minimum plant needs of St. Augstinegrass, and how local watering restrictions influenced watering behavior. / by Felicia D. Survis. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This study compared models that used remote sensing to assess salinity in Whitewater Bay. The quantitative techniques in this research allow for a less costly and quicker assessment of salinity values. Field observations and Landsat 5 TM imagery from 2003-2006 were separated into wet and dry seasons and temporally matched. Interpolation models of Inverse Distance Weighting and Kriging were compared to empirical regression models (Ordinary Least Squares and Geographically Weighted Regression - GWR) via their Root Mean Square Error. The results showed that salinity analysis is more accurate in the dry season compared with the wet season. Univariate and multivariate analysis of the Landsat bands revealed the best band combination for salinity analysis in this local area. GWR is the most conducive model for estimating salinity because field observations are not required for future predictions once the local formula is established with available satellite imagery. / by Donna Selch. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.