Reflections On Water

By Patricia Wilson

Turn on the tap and there is endless clean water-right?

In Florida there is plentiful rain, but beneath our feet, in the springs and the ancient Floridan aquifer, supplies are being depleted faster than they can be naturally replenished.

There are many reasons for this. Rain percolates through the soil into the aquifer very slowly over time and large swaths of undeveloped land are needed for this natural process to work well. Much of the rain runs off into streams and eventually to the ocean, never reaching the aquifer. Rapid development in Florida exacerbates the issue. Forests and wetlands, crucial for filtration, are being replaced with impervious surfaces like roads, buildings and parking lots which prevent the water from soaking into the ground and actually increase evaporation. Even most retention ponds slowly release the water back into streams and not back into the aquifer.

This development demands ever greater amounts of water for homes and businesses, and also for commercial bottling companies that don't pay for the water, yet extract millions of gallons from the springs daily, only to put it into plastic bottles. All this while each person requires a remarkable 3000 gallons of water per day to survive when all needs, especially food production, are included.

Our drinking water comes from both rivers and the aquifer and is treated at water plants. Wastewater is collected and treated again before being released back into the environment. However, there are emerging, invisible contaminants such as microplastics-PFAS, pesticides, VOCs, nitrates, and pharmaceuticals that our water treatment plants were not designed to remove, either before or after being in our homes. Some pollutants are too difficult or too expensive to remove.

Depleting the aquifer reduces its pressure, increasing the risk for salt water intrusion and sinkholes. As aquifers deplete in many parts of the country, treated and even untreated water is injected back into the aquifer to help restore the fluid balance. This practice, while seemingly helpful, concentrates existing contaminants as use and reuse continues, and forces naturally occurring chemicals like arsenic, fluoride, metals and radiological materials stored in the rock layers back into the water supply, thus creating more problems.

So what can be done? Seminole County is now developing a Holistic Water Policy to protect its water resources. This policy aims to raise awareness and provide incentives for water conservation, ensuring a sustainable clean water supply. Lawn watering for instance, accounts for 50% of our drinking water use. Switching to “Florida-Friendly” landscaping and using reclaimed water for irrigation significantly reduces this consumption.

Seminole County offers free irrigation inspections and provides rebates on low-flow toilets and sprinkler heads. These initiatives not only conserve water but also lower utility bills! Maintaining the aquifer’s current levels may prevent the need for direct water injection (at least until contaminant removal technology improves) and help delay sinkholes, preserving this unique and irreplaceable natural system.

For more information on rebates and programs in Seminole County, contact Keeli Carlton, Water Policy Program Manager -407.665.5798 and Abby Matre, Water Conservation Coordinator- 407.665.2121.