Florida Water Geek

  A Celebration and Reminder of Water's Importance This past week - May 17 - 23, 2026 was Water Reuse Week in Florida . This is an annual celebration in Florida, supported by our five Water Management Districts. Many local governments and communities sign declarations and host educational events for kids and adults. The idea is to appreciate and protect our precious water resources. While Florida may seem to have plenty of water, only a small percentage is fresh water suitable for drinking. The recent drought has made this even more apparent as many in the state are under a severe water shortage with restrictions. That's why the reuse of reclaimed water  becomes more important every day.  JEA H2.O Purification Center As part of Water Reuse Week, the Florida Water Reuse Summit was held at JEA's H2.O Purification Center in Jacksonville, Florida.  (JEA is a large utility in northeast Florida). This impressive facility will take highly treated reclaimed water and furthe...

 Potable reuse has been in the news lately. Daytona Beach may possibly ban potable reuse. But this would be a mistake, in my opinion. In 2021, Senate Bill 64 was passed, which will basically be forcing wastewater treatment and water reclamation facilities to stop discharging treated effluent to surface waters. This means these facilities will need to find more ways to reuse water.  So, let's explain what potable reuse means and why it should be either celebrated or banned. Reuse of reclaimed water is pretty mainstream here in Florida. Many people irrigate their lawns with it. It's widely used at golf courses, as well as many other uses. But, what does potable reuse mean?  What is Potable Water? Potable water is water that is safe for drinking.  The definition from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) is: " water that meets the primary and secondary drinking water quality standards prescribed by the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (4...

Have you ever wondered . . .  Where your drinking water comes from? How it gets treated?  How it's delivered to your faucet?   Your Water Utility Water Tower at Fantasy of Flight, Polk City Photo by Donna Kaluzniak In Florida, about 88% of people get their drinking water (also called potable water) from a utility.  The rest of the population have their own private wells. Some utilities provide more than just water. They may also include electric, gas, or sanitation.  Public water systems (PWS) --are water utilities that are owned by a local government or agency. They serve about 93% of Florida's population. Sometimes the water utility is part of a city or county public works department.  Privately owned utilities may outnumber public utilities,  but these are usually very small or rural systems that serve about 7% of the people in Florida. Water utilities vary in size from small systems, such as Graceville with a population of 2,236 to huge systems lik...

  The Wastewater Collection System Have you ever wondered what happens to the water you use for drinking, cooking, flushing, showering, washing dishes, and doing laundry? Until I was in the "water business' I really didn't give it much thought. But it's a very important process!! Sewer Service Lines: The plumbing in your house or business connects to a sewer service line that goes through your property and connects to the utility's wastewater collection system (also called the sanitary sewer collection system ).  The sanitary sewer system  is designed to transport wastewater to a treatment plant to remove contaminants. The treated water is then discharged to a receiving water and/or reused. NOTE: Some utilities combine the sanitary sewer system with the storm sewer system. These are called combined sewer systems. Florida law does NOT allow combined sewers. Stormwater and wastewater must be transported in separate piping systems. This illustration from the EPA s...

What are the rules and regulations related to water? Water regulations affect nearly everyone in Florida - utilities, farmers, developers, commercial businesses, industries, homeowners, boaters, commercial fishermen, hotels, restaurants and more.   Multiple agencies are involved at the federal, state, and local levels. I'm mostly discussing how they affect water utilities below, but we'll talk about how they affect all others in separate posts. Complying with regulations takes a huge amount of time and money for water utilities. Many require extensive permitting, reporting, and staying current with rules that change every year.  ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)  The over-arching regulatory agency for water is the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency .  The two major federal laws affecting water include:  The  Clean Water Act , which covers wastewater, stormwater, and waters of the U.S. The  Safe Drinking Water Act  which covers drinking...

What is the source of drinking water in Florida? The answer is. . . it depends on your location.  Most Florida communities rely on  groundwater , typically from underground  aquifers . Certain utilities use  surface water  (rivers, lakes and reservoirs) a source. Some areas of the state, such as Tampa, blend water sources, including from  seawater . And more recently, source water may be augmented with reclaimed water. An  aquifer  is an underground layer of rock, sand, or gravel that stores water—like a huge natural sponge beneath our feet. Rainwater seeps through the soil and eventually collects in the spaces within these layers. In Florida, most aquifers are made of porous limestone that lets water flow easily, almost like an extremely slow-moving underground river.  Aquifers also supply wells and springs throughout the state. The  Floridan Aquifer , one of the most productive in the world, supplies much of the state's drinking water....

  The Water Distribution System Once the water has been treated to meet all federal, state, and local regulations for drinking water, it is pumped into  storage tanks . Storage allows for fluctuations in water usage and holds enough water for emergencies and fire protection. Some of these are  ground storage tanks  and others may be  elevated tanks  (water towers). Elevated tanks not only store water, but help to regulate pressure in the system.  Pumps  then send drinking water into the  water distribution system . Pumps provide pressure in the system, usually around 60 to 75 pounds per square inch (psi), allowing water to flow into buildings throughout the community.  Note that in Florida, a measurable disinfectant (chlorine or chloramine) must be added to the water just before entering the distribution system. A minimum chlorine residual of 0.2 parts per million or milligrams per liter (mg/L) must be maintained throughout the system - ...

  How is Your Drinking Water Treated to Ensure Safety? Source water (sometimes called "raw" water) is pumped through pipelines to a  Water Treatment Plant (WTP) , where it goes through processes to remove contaminants.  Many utilities have more than one WTP. There are often multiple wells or other sources. Having multiple facilities provides redundancy, which is especially important in case of emergencies or natural disasters. The WTPs are usually located as close to the source as possible, which reduces the cost for pipeline construction and pumping.  The type of treatment needed to provide safe drinking water depends upon the quality of the source water.  For instance, in northeast Florida, most of the water comes from a confined portion of Floridan Aquifer  (a confined aquifer)  800 to 1200 feet below the earth's surface. A confined aquifer is one that is covered by a rock, clay, or sediment layer that slows down or prevents groundwater flow. This w...

  Want to hear more about water? Water podcasts are becoming more popular.  Here are several that include interesting interviews and news about water tech, current events, and more: WATERSPOUT The St. Johns River Water Management District created WATERSPOUT as a way to let you hear directly from us about Florida’s water resources. You’ll hear from our staff members about the work they do each day and how that work benefits our shared water resources. We’ll delve into important topics affecting our region’s water, what the District is doing and what you can do to help preserve and protect water. Making Waves with FWEA Making Waves is the Florida Water Environment Association's (FWEA's) exploration of our water environment and the impactful actions of our water professionals. Interviews with water professionals from around the state, and even the world bring insight and understanding to our water challenges. Words on Water This podcast is produced by the Water Environment F...

  What is Reclaimed Water? You may have seen signs at a park or landscaping around a public building that say "Irrigated with Reclaimed Water." You may even use reclaimed water to irrigate your own lawn. So, what exactly is it--and how can we use it? Basically, reclaimed water is treated and disinfected wastewater that can be reused for beneficial purposes. Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) defines reclaimed water as "water that has received at least secondary treatment and basic disinfection and is reused after flowing out of a domestic wastewater facility."  (For an explanation of levels of treatment see the post on Wastewater Treatment). Reclaimed water must meet extremely stringent FDEP requirements. Strict permitting and operating protocols must be followed. These include operator certification, monitoring and testing; reporting; setback distances, signage, and more. What is Reuse? Florida is a national leader when it comes to water re...

How are contaminants removed from wastewater? Wastewater Treatment Facilities, Water Reclamation Facilities, and Water Resource Recovery Facilities Water used in our homes and businesses flows through the wastewater collection system  to a wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) , also called Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW)   if  owned by a state or local government, which many are. Water Reclamation Facilities (WRFs) are those  that provide advanced treatment, cleaning the water to a higher level to produce reclaimed water. Reclaimed water can be reused for irrigation, cooling towers, wetlands enhancement or other uses.  Image by  Michal Jarmoluk  from  Pixabay Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs) take things a step further by extracting valuable materials from wastewater, such as creating biogas from excess biolsolids that can be used for energy. WRRFs may also recover valuable metals or nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to be use...