Each month at MandarinSun.Jacksonville.com, we will post a featured question and answer from Teresa Monson, Senior Communications Specialist at the St. Johns River Water Management District. Here's this month's question:
Where does our water that we use everyday come from?
Whether you have city water or a private well, the water you drink most likely comes from a well drilled deep into one of Florida's underground aquifer systems. Most of us in northeast Florida get our water from the Floridan aquifer, which is an abundant supply of water.
However, in many areas of the St. Johns River Water Management District, groundwater supplies have reached their sustainable limit, or will reach these limits in the near future. Public supply water demand in the District is expected to nearly double by 2025, and Florida’s traditional water source will not be able to meet all future needs.
The aquifer is impacted daily. Less and less area is available to allow rainfall to enter the aquifer because paved roads, parking lots, shopping centers, housing developments and other buildings cover up lands that have soils best suited to allowing water to seep into an aquifer.
Various pollutants that run off of developed areas and seep into the ground also threaten aquifer water quality.
Florida usually receives about 50 inches of rain each year, but only about 13 inches of water seeps into the ground to replenish underground aquifers. Using too much groundwater can result in drying out wetlands, lowering lake levels, reducing spring flows and impairing water quality from saltwater intrusion.
In addition to water conservation, one way to make sure that high-quality drinking water is available in the aquifer when it is needed, is for people to lessen their dependence on groundwater. Alternative sources may include seawater, brackish (slightly salty) groundwater, reclaimed water, and surface water from our rivers.
Do you have a questions about our water? If so, e-mail it to me at tracy.jones@jacksonville.com, and I will pass it along to Teresa.
