Water’s JourneyWater’s JourneyWater’s JourneyWater is an endless cycle that repeats itself but doesn’t necessarily remain drinkable. Rain feeds vegetation, evaporation occurs, and then returns to rivers, streams, and lakes and may seep into rocks and caves underground through limestone and into aquifers. It may take many years before it reaches the surface. Water is a valuable resource that people tend to mishandle and take for granted. Explorers have dove into the paths underground to trace paths of water that flow deep under homes, streets, cities, and pastures only to surface a dirty and contaminated pond. Inside these deep paths explorers have found tires, oil barrels and chemical containers that most people are unaware of. Over 8 billion gallons of water emerge from the earth per minute.
The Floridan Aquifer is the largest aquifer in Florida where the state gets it drinking water. The Floridan aquifer system also provides water for several large cities, including Savannah and Brunswick in Georgia; and Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Orlando, and St. Petersburg in Florida. In addition, the aquifer system provides water for hundreds of thousands of people in smaller communities and rural areas. The Floridan Aquifer runs into Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
Major issues impacting the health of the springs include population growth, urbanization, growing demand for groundwater and introduction of fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants to the spring sheds. Storm water run-off and pollution represents one of the most serious threats to the health of Floridas groundwater. As storm water flows off highways, county roads, parking lots, and residential developments, it carries with it heavy metals, petroleum by-products, pet wastes, and pollutants. Homeowners that water grass may require large amounts of fertilizer that contribute to high levels of nitrates in the aquifer, a major source of drinking water. Water containing nitrates contribute to algae growth and can endanger plants and wildlife in the springs. Lawns with landscaping with non-native plants may also require daily watering and frequent pesticides to keep them healthy and disease-free. Nearly half of all water withdrawn for our supply is used only to water lawns
In 2006, the Arizona Department of Environmental Protection (ADEP) released a report detailing the impacts of runoff on Floridas. The report stated, “In addition to increased water usage, the increased exposure of some of these waterborne pathogens, such as microalgae, to the groundwater increases the risk of waterborne illnesses and is considered to be a major risk of public health issues.” An average of 22 inches of precipitation each year to the spring shed is caused by runoff, with 10 inches coming in summer that are responsible for most of the yearly precipitation. Some communities also face severe and prolonged water contamination from runoff.
Fertilizer runoff caused by the construction of the aquifer has been reported in multiple places for over 70 years in the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, groundwater in Florida has an annual value of 1.4 billion cubic feet, or roughly 5.8 million dollars’ worth of contaminated water. Water runoff of any kind has been a major contributor to a number of health concerns known as ‘harvesting’ that include health effects of bacteria and algae growth, waterborne infectious diseases, infections such as tetanus, scleroderma, and scleroidosis. Waterborne infections and waterborne diseases pose numerous health concerns such as a rise in asthma, asthma exacerbation and bronchitis, and increased rates of cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other illnesses. Waterborne diseases are also present in the roots that grow in the wetlands in Arizona, and the aquifer is in a vulnerable condition that requires additional care.
The ADEP is now implementing a water quality planning and control plan that includes an annual groundwater management plan by beginning with a year-round water consumption of 6 gallons per day, from April to July, beginning on 1 January 2013. This will include a water quality management plan based on public drinking water sources and using a combination of private and public incentives and public-private agreements between owners and water providers. The planning and control plans are being made available to our groundwater customers by our public partners and by State and local entities. Please note that water quality monitoring devices are currently incorporated into the plan.
All of the water source management plans have an impact on groundwater health and the aquifer, including a water quality plan for each of the 6 aquifers which are responsible for approximately 25,000 acres located in the Gulf of Mexico. The plan describes all of the water sources, as well as water quality, as a combination of public and private incentives in order to achieve a comprehensive management plan and a sustainable water quality program. Most of the incentives, if adopted, lead to reductions in all levels of runoff that result in significant water quality deterioration in the aquifer. A water quality plan will reduce the amount of contaminants in the water supply that cause more contaminants to become contaminating to the aquifer, and will decrease the number of waterborne pathogens that will pose an overall health risk for the aquifer. More than 60 percent of the water source management plan is based on the recommendations made by the Department of the Interior, which will apply to all levels of each of the water sources responsible for 20 million hectares in the Gulf, up from 6.5 percent. The plan is also an overall water management plan that considers all water sources as a part of the overall water treatment plan (for example, a wastewater treatment plant, wastewater treatment facility, wastewater treatment treatment plant and other water sources) in order to determine which water sources are the most important for the aquifer.
In 2013, approximately 20 percent of the water source management plan for Floridas was based on water quality projections based on water quality projections by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation (FARS): 40 million to 38 million acres, or 15 percent of total watershed water. Since the beginning of last year, the FARS has estimated an additional 10 percent more water than the previous assessment of Floridas aquifers. During the first