Happy "Protect Your Groundwater" Day

From the St. John's River Water Management District

Today, the St. Johns River Water Management District joins other organizations to raise awareness for protecting groundwater supplies and quality during Protect Your Groundwater Day.

“The main source of water for most of northeast and central Florida comes from underground aquifers, primarily the Floridan aquifer, which is limited,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “We remain dedicated to using data-driven science to safeguard future supplies, while recognizing the important role of water conservation to ensure its efficient use.”

Residents looking to do their part to help sustain our water supply have a number of actions they can take to make a difference. At the core of achieving our water supply goals is water conservation.

• A home water use assessment is available online for residents to test the water quality and learn about how much water they are using and where they can most easily cut back.
• A waterwise landscape plant database available online can help guide homeowners as they replant their gardens to choose plants that can thrive in our current climate with limited watering.
• By following watering restrictions residents limit their amount of outdoor water use, which accounts for nearly half of all residential water use!

Protecting water quality and water supply is central to the district’s work. The district regularly publishes research, data and maps online to encourage understanding of sustainable use of Florida’s water.

• The district’s water supply planning program works to plan for meeting future demands while protecting water resources. Water use statistics and trends are available at www.sjrwmd.com/documents/water-supply/#water-use-data.
• A continuous water quality monitoring program provides data that enables the district to make resource decisions based on accurate and timely information. Water acidity, clarity, dissolved oxygen and temperature data for water bodies throughout the district are available at www.sjrwmd.com /data/water-quality.

Other resources that provide tips on saving water indoors and outdoors are online at www.sjrwmd.com/water-conservation.

About the St. Johns River Water Management District

St. Johns River Water Management District staff are committed to ensuring the sustainable use and protection of water resources for the benefit of the people of the district and the state of Florida. The St. Johns River Water Management District is one of five districts in Florida managing groundwater and surface water supplies in the state. The district encompasses all or part of 18 northeast and east-central Florida counties. District headquarters are in Palatka, and staff also are available to serve the public at service centers in Maitland, Jacksonville and Palm Bay.