Stormwater Injection Wells Boost Developable FL Land & ROI

Stormwater Injection Wells: Increasing Developable Land and ROI in South Florida

In South Florida development, every acre of usable land matters.

JRH Engineering is a licensed civil, structural, and land development engineering firm serving Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.

JRH guiding principles are: Engineering Excellence. Delivered on Time. Built on Value.

Stormwater management is a critical part of site design, but conventional retention areas, ponds, and other surface stormwater facilities can consume valuable acreage that could otherwise be used for revenue-producing development.

For the right property, stormwater injection wells may provide an alternative that reduces the amount of surface land dedicated to stormwater management — potentially increasing developable acreage and overall project ROI.

How Do Stormwater Injection Wells Work?

Instead of managing all stormwater through large surface retention areas, runoff from roofs, parking lots, roads, and other impervious areas is collected through the site's drainage system.

The stormwater goes through the required storage, pretreatment, and water-quality measures before being directed into properly designed injection wells and an appropriate subsurface formation.

Injection wells do not eliminate stormwater requirements.

The development must still meet applicable stormwater, water-quality, groundwater-protection, and permitting requirements.

The opportunity is to determine whether those requirements can be satisfied using a more land-efficient stormwater system.

Why Civil and Geotechnical Coordination Matters

This is why injection wells should be evaluated during pre-land-development feasibility, not after the development plan is complete.

The civil engineer evaluates the proposed development, drainage requirements, stormwater volume, water-quality requirements, and potential site layout.

At the same time, the geotechnical/hydrogeological engineer needs to investigate what is happening below the property.

What a Properly Scoped Investigation Should Evaluate

• Seasonal and high groundwater conditions

  
  

• Subsurface soil, rock, and limestone formations

  
  

• Depth and characteristics of potential receiving formations

  
  

• Hydraulic conductivity and anticipated injection capacity

  
  

• Groundwater quality and protection

  
  

• Potential well depth, construction, and performance

  
  

This is also why a generic geotechnical report may not be enough.

If injection wells are being considered, the civil and geotechnical engineers should coordinate the scope of the investigation specifically around the proposed stormwater strategy.

Where the Developer's ROI Comes In

The biggest opportunity is not necessarily that an injection well costs less than a conventional stormwater system.

The opportunity is the value of the land it may allow the developer to recover.

If less surface area is required for stormwater infrastructure, that land may potentially become additional multifamily units, industrial building area, retail space, hotel rooms, parking, residential lots, or other revenue-producing uses.

What Developers Should Actually Compare

Therefore, developers shouldn't simply compare:

• Cost of an injection well vs. cost of a pond

  
  

They should evaluate:

• Cost of the alternative stormwater system vs. the value of the additional developable land it may create

  
  

Even when an injection-well system requires additional geotechnical investigation, engineering, permitting, treatment, construction, and maintenance, the additional development potential may justify that investment.

Evaluate Stormwater Before You Buy the Dirt

Stormwater injection wells have been used and permitted on developments in the Miami-Dade area, demonstrating that this can be a viable strategy under the right conditions.

However, every property is different, and feasibility depends on geology, groundwater, water quality, development intensity, agency requirements, and the proposed stormwater system.

That analysis should happen early in due diligence.

At JRH Engineering & Environmental Services, we believe land development feasibility should go beyond determining whether a property can be developed.

The civil and geotechnical teams should also be asking: can we engineer the site in a way that increases usable land and improves the developer's return on investment?

In South Florida, the right stormwater strategy may be one of the most important places to look for that opportunity.

For general information on underground injection well regulation, see the EPA's Underground Injection Control Program.

For Florida-specific stormwater and injection well permitting requirements, see the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Injection-well feasibility is site-specific and subject to applicable South Florida, FDEP, and other regulatory requirements.

A qualified engineering and hydrogeological evaluation should be performed before selecting an injection-well strategy.

Want More Information on this Topic?

If a South Florida development site could benefit from a stormwater feasibility review, JRH Engineering's team is available to help evaluate the options.

• Call JRH Engineering: (800) 227-9635

  
  

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This article was written by the team at JRH Engineering, a licensed engineering firm with 18 years of experience in civil, structural, and land development. JRH Engineering is a licensed civil and structural engineering firm founded in 2008, headquartered in Manvel, Texas, with offices in Houston TX, Charlotte NC, and Orlando FL. Certified WBE, WOSB, and HUB-eligible. Phone: (800) 227-9635 | sales@jrhengineering.net | jrhengineering.net. Texas PE license is F-10385. North Carolina PE license is P-3118. Florida license is 38516.