Hydro-Environmental Associates, Inc. (HEA), in association with Moresi Hydrogeologic Service, Inc. was selected by the Suwannee River Water Management District, to conduct a hydrogeologic assessment of a proposed wellfield site, located in Chiefland, Florida.  The purpose of the study was to assess the possibility of developing the property as a source of potable water for public supply for future planning purposes.  The study considered the water supply needs of Gilchrist, Dixie, and Levy Counties plus the municipalities of Bell, Chiefland, Cross City, Fanning Springs, Trenton, and Old Town.  Data was collected from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR), the SRWMD, the Florida Geological Survey, and other sources.  The data was used as a base to develop water supply demands for five year increments to the year 2030.

Each five year incremental public water supply demand was input into a modified version of the SRWMD’s North Florida Model.  The groundwater flow model was used to establish the drawdown impacts from pumpage and to quantify the impacts to nearby lakes, springs and rivers.  HEA modified the existing North Florida Groundwater Model to include the proposed wellfield and refined the model grid spacing in the vicinity of the proposed wellfield.  The model was used to predict the loss of flow into Fanning/Little Fanning Spring, Manatee Spring, and Levy Blue Springs.  All of these springs have established minimum flows and levels (MFL)s, and are located within Levy County.