Strengthening of Forests Through Groundwater Restoration

Grand Bahama relies on groundwater as its drinking water source for the island’s population. The majority (60%) of the drinking water supplied to the island historically originated from an area named Wellfield 6, a private area located to the northeast of Freeport. This wellfield is protected by a forest. However, the storm surge that accompanied Hurricane Dorian caused approximately 21 feet of saltwater to sit above Wellfield 6 for several days, resulting in contamination of the freshwater lens, in addition to the widespread mortality of the pine forests in this area. Ths project will focus on the mapping and delineation of the extent of damage to the landscape, as well as groundwater modeling and will include development of a plan for reforestation of damaged areas through direct seeding and seedling planting, creation of GIS mapping and diagnostics of the study site and characterization of hydrologic processes (quantity and quality) in the area. It will also include a list of potential recovery efforts for the freshwater lens that can be made with managed aquifer recharge and other management alternatives.