Water
Conserving Florida’s natural resources
Challenges
Water use is projected to grow by 14% between 2020 and 2040 due to Florida’s increasing population. This growth will be in all categories, but Public Supply has finally surpassed Agriculture to become the largest water use and accounts for most of the total growth.
Projected Water Demands by Use Type
Florida’s average annual rainfall is 2nd in the country, but only about 30% of it finds its way to bodies of water or the state’s aquifers. As a result, while Florida won’t run out of water, some costly regional projects may be needed to ensure adequacy over the next 15 years.
Conservation could substantially reduce the projected deficit, but convincing Floridians to act proactively is difficult in a state where the average annual rainfall is so high.
Nutrient pollution in Florida’s water bodies is widely considered to be the main driver of harmful algae blooms that destroy our natural habitats.
Florida’s utilities have six years to eliminate dangerous PFAS (forever chemicals) from the drinking water supply. While important for health reasons, doing so will require billions of dollars of new equipment and infrastructure.
Statewide Projected Water Demand and Inferred Supply
Opportunities
With countless public and private entities and individuals producing an immense amount of data related to Florida’s water resources, aggregating this information, as well as best practices, provides our state an opportunity to lead on this issue in a way that no state has ever achieved.
The Florida Council of 100 is leading an initiative to create a State University System-based Water Center to serve as the state’s first consolidated source of water quality and quantity data, technical assistance, and thought leadership. The Water Center will bring stakeholders together in order to find and disseminate solutions that benefit all Floridians by serving the following purposes:
Data Clearinghouse: The Water Center will serve as the state’s clearinghouse for the evergreen collection, management, and dissemination of data relating to the preservation, development, and delivery of water resources.
Information Clearinghouse: The Water Center will provide public and private stakeholders with information and best practices enabling them to most effectively preserve, develop, and deliver water resources.
Technical Assistance: The Water Center will help public and private stakeholders take action to preserve, develop, and deliver water resources.
Convocation: The Water Center will serve as the convener of water policy experts and practitioners as a means of developing and sharing information and best practices relating to the preservation, development, and delivery of water resources.
Education: The Water Center will provide and/or facilitate stakeholder education and training programs to demonstrate the importance of protecting and enhancing the state’s water resources, enable stakeholders to act independently to achieve those goals, and instruct and inspire future scientists and practitioners in water-related fields.
Thought Leadership: The Water Center will assist state and local government leaders with the development of policy alternatives and recommendations relating to current, new, and emerging water issues, challenges, and opportunities.
