But serious challenges to the Floridan aquifer are forcing residents to realize their water supply may be limited. Over-extraction, sea level rise, and an increasing risk of saltwater intrusion are all straining the aquifer’s resources.

In some areas, water in the Floridan aquifer is not suitable for drinking without some type of chemical treatment because it contains various minerals or salts.

These water-filled layers of earth are called aquifers, and they are Florida’s main source of drinking water. Most groundwater is naturally clean and free of contaminants. Unfortunately, Florida’s aquifers can become contaminated by chemicals and bacteria that can cause illness and disease.

The Lower Floridan aquifer is generally less permeable than the Upper Floridan aquifer and the water produced can be highly mineralized and/or saline; however, the Lower Floridan aquifer is relatively fresh water to the base of the system in central Florida and in updip areas of central and southern Georgia and Alabama …

Stressors that can deplete aquifers include changes in precipitation and snowmelt patterns; withdrawal of ground water for drinking, irrigation, and other human uses; and impervious paved surfaces that prevent precipitation from recharging ground water. Some deep aquifers may take thousands of years to replenish.

About 10 million people rely on groundwater from the Upper Floridan and surficial aquifers for drinking water. The Upper Floridan aquifer also is of primary importance to the region as a source of water for irrigation and as a source of crystal clear water that discharges to springs and streams …

The most common and widespread contaminants in Florida are bacteria, nitrates and lead. Other chemicals like ethylene dibromide (EDB), tetrachlorethylene (PCE) and temik have also been found in isolated areas. Contaminated drinking water can cause a number of diseases, and is sometimes fatal to vulnerable people.

Yes, the water in Florida is safe to drink because local governments follow strict federal and state laws on monitoring water contaminants. These standards insure that there are no harmful chemicals inadvertently added to the drinking water supply.”

From top to bottom, the major hydrogeologic units of the FAS are the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA), middle confining and composite units, and Lower Floridan aquifer (LFA). Generalized block diagram, from Williams and Kuniansky (2015).

Nitrate. Nitrate is the most common chemical contaminant in the world’s groundwater and aquifers.

Hazardous chemicals are often stored in containers on land or in underground storage tanks. Leaks from these containers and tanks can contaminate soil and pollute groundwater. Common pollutants of soil and groundwater include gasoline and diesel fuel from gas stations, as well as solvents, heavy metals and pesticides.

Ongoing water pollution and harmful algal blooms, including red tides and toxic blue-green algae, are putting public health at risk and causing massive die-offs of fish, marine life and sea turtles. For instance, cyanobacteria proliferate in the nutrient-rich fresh waters of Lake Okeechobee in Central Florida.

And most of that water is drawn from the Floridan aquifer, dangerously depleting its water levels. When an aquifer’s water levels drop, the pressure that keeps water flowing through it also drops and the system breaks down.

The Floridan aquifer system (FAS), which underlies all of Florida, is the main source of potable groundwater for much of the state. However, in the extreme western Panhandle and in South Florida, the FAS is either too deep or contains water of poor quality. What Type of Rock are Aquifers Made of?

In some locations, desalination plants turn brackish and saltwater into freshwater, but costs are twice as expensive. With household water use one of the fastest growing drains on the Floridan aquifer, this is a problem that everyone can help solve.

Silver Springs, one of the Floridan aquifer’s largest springs, has seen its prodigious output fall from 500 million gallons to around 200 million gallons per day —an alarming 60 percent decline. Such a depletion of the aquifer’s water levels brings the danger of saltwater intrusion.