Florida’s aquifers — the conservation and recharge of our freshwater supply

The final article in the Florida’s aquifers series is about giving back — facilitating the flow of rainwater into the aquifers to ensure the sustainability of our water supply for future generations. The aquifers provide us with water purification and storage systems that we use every day: drinking, bathing, washing, swimming and kayaking (in the springs), irrigation, and so much more. Let's preserve and protect this incredible resource. The system must be recharged!

The City of Ocala has figured out how to do just that. Proudly looking toward the future, the City of Ocala, the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have collaborated on an innovative project called Ocala Wetland Recharge Park (OWRP). This park features 35 acres of infiltration wetlands, two and a half miles of trails, 1,500 feet of boardwalk for exploration, and 20 educational kiosks. Park designers created an aggressive nature-based solution to filter out excess nutrients caused by fertilizers and divert reclaimed water directly back into the imperiled Silver Springs watershed and the Upper Floridan Aquifer. This effort has earned the new park the National Recreation and Park Association's Best in Innovation Award in 2021.

Ocala Wetland Recharge Park (OWRP) is an intelligent way to recharge the aquifer and reduce an estimated 29,000 pounds per year of nitrogen and 30,500 pounds per year of phosphorus from source waters that would otherwise pollute the groundwater. In addition, the park will help to abate flooding in the local area. Ocala will send 3 million gallons a day of reclaimed water from advanced wastewater treatment facilities, and treated stormwater runoff from the city to the recharge park. 

In Florida, it is very important to preserve suitable recharge areas so water can re-enter the aquifer system from the ground surface. Water soaks into the topsoil and percolates down into pores and cavities, refilling our aquifers. Sandy soils are highly permeable and make great recharge areas, as do marshes, lakes and rivers. For recharge to occur, increasing the time that the water has to absorb into the ground is crucial. When you have land covered in cement, not only can the water not get through to the ground, but it evaporates quickly, starving the aquifer of its rightful rainwater supply. Retention ponds can be specifically designed to recharge the aquifer using infiltration basins or recharge basins instead of just holding water that then evaporates.

Another way to protect and preserve the aquifer is to use less water. In Florida, up to 50% (64-88% in the summer) of the public drinking water supply is used to irrigate private lawns. 

This is not sustainable or necessary; it is a misplaced priority. 

We don’t need lawns; we need to protect our precious drinking water supply. Water usage can be cut nearly in half by designing alternative low-water home landscapes. This seems like the fastest way to curb our water supply issues. Texas, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, and California all have programs that reward homeowners for establishing drought-resistant landscapes on their properties.

Homeowners who pay for fertilizers and pesticides to be applied to their grass lawns are contaminating the groundwater due to the runoff from their lawns on a massive scale. This could be eliminated by implementing drought-resistant landscapes, thereby reducing water use and groundwater pollution.

On Amelia Island, we have an added strain on our water supply. The mills located on the island pump immense quantities of water directly from the deep Floridan Aquifer below us for their manufacturing and cooling processes. Industry is important, but when the water is gone, it is gone. Are the mills concerned about ensuring a sustainable water supply for the residents on the Island?

Education is the key. I do believe that if the wonderful people of Amelia Island understand how our aquifer system functions, they will preserve, protect, and help recharge this awesome resource. Humans are smart, creative, and capable; we just need to stand up and be good stewards of the most precious resource we have — potable water. 

Desalination plants are very expensive.