SPECIAL REPORT: The pressing water issues facing north central Florida
Florida, famously known as the Sunshine State, might better be called the Water State: In addition to being surrounded by water on three sides and crossed by nearly 26,000 miles of rivers, the peninsula is home to an intricate network of freshwater springs that bubble up from the Floridan Aquifer. From these 1,000 springs that support recreation and give refuge to wildlife like manatees, to the aquifer that provides most Floridians’ drinking water and irrigation for farms, freshwater defines North Central Florida.
But Florida’s aquifer and springs are at risk. Their blue waters are in decline, including loss of flow, excessive algae and so called “brown-outs.” Over-pumping and even over-loving the springs are partly to blame.
According to the GeoPlan Center’s Florida 2070 report, Florida’s population is expected to grow by 12.2 million by 2070, reaching 33.7 million residents. More people pumping more water could also increase the negative impacts humans have on the fragile springs and aquifer.
The main character in our story is the Floridan Aquifer, an underground mass of freshwater that underlies 100,000 square miles of the southeastern United States, with a significant portion beneath Florida's surface. Often mistaken as an underground pool of water, the aquifer is more like an underground sponge: porous limestone rock that holds freshwater.
Water falls as rain from clouds and washes across the land to rivers and springs, or absorbs into the earth, trickling down into the aquifer. It’s stored there, hiding out of sight below our feet for centuries until it naturally bubbles up into our springs, or is pumped up through wells for human consumption, agriculture and lawn irrigation.
This large aquifer is the primary source of drinking water for 90 percent of Floridians, quenching homes and landscapes and businesses and industries across the state.
With the predicted rise in population and the increasing impacts of climate change, threats to freshwater will also increase.
Once groundwater is pumped up and sent to faucets and hoses, it is known as tap water. Gainesville residents get their tap water from Gainesville Regional Utilities, or GRU, which delivers clean, drinkable water through an intricate system of pumping, filtering and distribution across the city.
GRU draws 23 million gallons of water each day from the aquifer, filtering and cleaning it, before sending it out through their pipes to fill Gainesville’s taps.
Following natural waters and tap waters, Floridians are probably most familiar with bottled water, which has risen in popularity due to its convenience and accessibility. But the convenient bottles lead to plastic waste, resource depletion and the impact of the bottled water industry on the springs and aquifer themselves.
Preserving Florida's freshwater is among the state’s greatest challenges, as groundwater depletion intersects with rising population and climate change. In this special report, WUFT dives into three iconic freshwaters–natural water, tap water and bottled water–with an eye toward sustainable solutions.
SPECIAL REPORT: The pressing water issues facing north central Florida
Copyright 2024 WUFT 89.1
