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The Potable Water Section is responsible for regulating
approximately 1,000
public water
systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act through
inspections, permitting and enforcement activities to ensure
the safety, health and welfare of the public.
Through inspections of these drinking water facilities, staff members
evaluate chemical and bacteriological water quality, proper operation
and maintenance protocol and determine if facilities have sufficient
capacity for their demand. In those instances when facilities are
not in compliance with applicable regulations, staff members initiate
appropriate civil and/or criminal action to correct any problems.
Lastly, the permitting staff ensures that newly constructed public water
systems are appropriately designed and in full compliance with all rules
under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Where does our water come from?
All public water systems in the Northeast District use
groundwater as their source for drinking water. The majority of the
systems only have to disinfect their high quality water by adding chlorine.
If high levels of iron are a problem, chlorination followed by filtration is
normally adequate. Some facilities must also aerate the water to remove hydrogen
sulfide, which cause water to have a rotten egg odor.
What is a public
water system?
A public water system is one that provides potable water to 25
or more people for at least 60 days each year or serves 15
or more service connections. These public water systems may
be publicly or privately owned and operated. These are
divided into three categories. The first category is
"community" water systems. This group provides water to
residences and businesses that range in size from small
mobile home courts to large city utilities. The second
category is "transient non-community" systems. These systems
serve mainly transient populations and include such things
as restaurants, motels, interstate rest stops, camp grounds,
and so on. The last category is "non-transient
non-community" water systems. This group provides water to
at least the same people for six or more months each year
and includes such things as schools, child care centers, and
businesses which employ 25 or more people.
Hard Water
In areas where hard water is a concern, lime-softening
treatment is common. This treatment typically involves
the addition of lime to raise the pH of the water, which
causes calcium and magnesium compounds to settle out of the
water. The water is then filtered to remove any
bacteriological contaminants. Sometimes it is
necessary to add additional chemicals after filtration to
raise the pH of the water back to an acceptable level.
Brackish Water
Ground water in some of the coastal areas in the Northeast
District, primarily on the Atlantic Coast, is somewhat
brackish due to the influence of the ocean. Compounds
that must be treated in these waters include: sodium,
chlorides and total dissolved solids (TDS). For these
areas, membrane technologies such as ultra-filtration or
reverse osmosis are the only types of treatment available.
The groundwater is first sent through a pre-filter to remove
any solids, then acid is injected to lower the pH which
causes compounds to dissociate and makes removal easier.
The clean water is then aerated, the pH is raised by
chemical addition and, lastly, the water is chlorinated.
The discarded by-product of the treatment process is
disposed of in a Department approved manner, usually in
brackish inland waters, such as the Intracoastal waterway.
More Information
For more information on drinking water treatment and links to other
resources please visit the Department's Division of Water Resources
Drinking water section at
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/drinkingwater/index.htm
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