Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in 

Florida, 2005

By Richard L. Marella

Prepared in cooperation with the

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5125

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Marcia K. McNutt, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2009

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reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:

Marella, R.L., 2009, Water withdrawals, use, and trends in Florida, 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2009-5125, 49 p.

ISBN 978-1-4113-2604-0
iii

Acknowledgments

The author gratefully acknowledges the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), 

Office of Water Policy, for its cooperation in the State Water-Use Program, and extends a 

special thanks to the following individuals who provided program support or data and technical 

assistance: Janet Llewellyn, Joseph Doker, Lauren Walker-Coleman, Kathleen Greenwood, 

Kenna Study, Thomas Swihart, and Carolyn Voyles (Tallahassee), as well as the many individuals 

in the Drinking Water and Wastewater Programs from FDEP district offices in Ft. Myers, 

Jacksonville, Orlando, Pensacola, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. Other State of Florida agencies 

that contributed assistance or data include the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer 

Services and the Florida Department of Health.

Special appreciation is extended to the Executive Directors of the five Florida Water Management 

Districts (WMDs) for their participation and staff cooperation in providing water-use data: 

Northwest Florida WMD (NWFWMD), St. Johns River WMD (SJRWMD), South Florida WMD 

(SFWMD), Southwest Florida WMD (SWFWMD), and the Suwannee River WMD (SRWMD). The 

participation of the following individuals is acknowledged for their data-collection and tabulation 

efforts or for their technical input and support: Angela Chelette, Kathleen Coates, Christina 

Coger, Lauren Connell, Janet Dettle, and the late Marvin Raulston at NWFWMD in Havana; Bruce 

Florence and Penni Hauck at SJRWMD in Palatka; Kurt Leckler and his staff (Jay Floyd, the late 

Barbara Fronczek, Krista Guerrero, Clayton McMillan, Stephanie Lancaster, William Rasperger, 

and Curtis Thompson) and Jane Bucca and her staff (Jianchang Cia, Morris Rosen, and Carl 

Woehlcke) at SFWMD in West Palm Beach; Mehrshad Nourani and Kathleen Scott at SWFWMD 

in Brooksville; Kirk Webster and Glenn Horvath at SRWMD in Live Oak.

Appreciation is also extended to the many utility operators, plant managers, and individuals 

who provided data vital to the completion of this effort. These include staff from: Bay 

County Public Utilities, Florida Power and Light Company, Progress Energy (formerly Florida 

Power Corporation), Florida Rock Industries, Gainesville Regional Utilities, Gulf Power Company 

(A Southern Company), Jacksonville Electric Authority, Lakeland Electric and Water, Miami-Dade 

Water and Sewer Department, Orange County Water and Sewer Department, Orlando Utilities 

Commission, Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department, Tampa Bay Water, Tampa Electric 

Company , City of Tallahassee, and many others who provided data and technical guidance. 

v

Contents

Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................2

Purpose and Scope .............................................................................................................................2

Previous Investigations .......................................................................................................................2

Data Sources and Limitations ............................................................................................................4

Water Withdrawals and Use .......................................................................................................................7

Water Source and Use Category ....................................................................................................10

Public Supply .............................................................................................................................13

Domestic Self-Supplied ...........................................................................................................18

Commercial-Industrial Self-Supplied ....................................................................................20

Agricultural Self-Supplied (Irrigation and Nonirrigation) ..................................................22

Recreational Irrigation .............................................................................................................27

Power Generation .....................................................................................................................30

Water Management Districts ..........................................................................................................32

Water Withdrawal Trends, 1950-2005 ......................................................................................................36

Selected References ..................................................................................................................................42

Glossary.........................................................................................................................................................45

Figures

1. Graph showing historical and projected population of Florida, 1950-2030 .........................2

2. Map showing counties and water management districts in Florida....................................3

3-5. Graphs showing:

3. Total water withdrawals in Florida by source, 2005.............................................................7

4. Average daily freshwater withdrawals by month in Florida, 2005 ....................................8

5. Fresh groundwater and surface-water withdrawals in Florida by 

 category, 2005..............................................................................................................................8

6. Map showing approximate areal extent throughout which principal aquifers 

 in Florida are the primary source of groundwater, and quantity of 

 groundwater withdrawals, 2005 ............................................................................................10

7. Map showing general location of hydrologic units in Florida and fresh 

 groundwater and surface-water withdrawals within these units, 2005 .......................12

8-39. Graphs showing:

8. Public-supply groundwater withdrawals in Florida by 

 principal aquifer, 2005 ..............................................................................................................13

9. Average daily public-supply freshwater withdrawals 

 by month in Florida, 2005 .........................................................................................................13

10. Public-supply water-use deliveries in Florida, 2005...........................................................15

11. Historical public-supply gross and domestic per capita water use in 

 Florida, 1950-2005......................................................................................................................15

12. Historical public-supply freshwater withdrawals in Florida by 

 source, 1950-2005......................................................................................................................17
vi

13. Domestic self-supplied groundwater withdrawals in Florida by principal 

 aquifer, 2005 ...............................................................................................................................18

14. Historical domestic self-supplied freshwater withdrawals in Florida, 

 1950-2005 ....................................................................................................................................18

15. Commercial-industrial self-supplied groundwater withdrawals in Florida 

 by principal aquifer, 2005 ........................................................................................................ 20

16. Average daily commercial-industrial self-supplied freshwater withdrawals 

 by month in Florida, 2005 ........................................................................................................ 20

17. Commercial-industrial self-supplied freshwater use in Florida by major 

 industrial type, 2005................................................................................................................. 20

18. Historical commercial-industrial self-supplied freshwater withdrawals in 

 Florida by source, 1950-2005.................................................................................................. 22

19. Agricultural self-supplied groundwater withdrawals in Florida by principal 

 aquifer, 2005 .............................................................................................................................. 24

20. Average daily agricultural self-supplied freshwater withdrawals by month 

 in Florida, 2005 .......................................................................................................................... 24

21. Agricultural self-supplied freshwater use in Florida by major crop type, 2005........... 24

22. Historical agricultural self-supplied freshwater withdrawals in Florida by 

 source, 1950-2005..................................................................................................................... 26

23. Historical agricultural acreage in Florida for selected crops, 1970-2006..................... 26

24. Historical agricultural acreage irrigated in Florida by major irrigation system 

 type, 1980-2005......................................................................................................................... 27

25. Recreational irrigation groundwater withdrawals in Florida by principal 

 aquifer, 2005 .............................................................................................................................. 27

26. Average daily recreational irrigation freshwater withdrawals by month in 

 Florida, 2005............................................................................................................................... 29

27. Historical recreational irrigation freshwater withdrawals in Florida by 

 source, 1985-2005..................................................................................................................... 29

28. Average daily power-generation freshwater withdrawals by month in 

 Florida, 2005............................................................................................................................... 30

29. Historical power-generation water withdrawals in Florida by source, 

 1950-2005 ................................................................................................................................... 30

30. Population and population served by public supply in Florida by water 

 management district, 2005 ..................................................................................................... 32

31. Freshwater withdrawals in Florida by water management district, 2005 .................... 32

32. Freshwater and saline-water withdrawals in Florida by water management 

 district, 2005 .............................................................................................................................. 32

33. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by water management district, 

 1975-2005 ................................................................................................................................... 35

34. Historical fresh groundwater withdrawals in Florida by water management 

 district, 1975-2005 .................................................................................................................... 35

35. Historical fresh surface-water withdrawals in Florida by water management 

 district, 1975-2005 .................................................................................................................... 35

36. Freshwater withdrawals for agricultural self-supplied and public supply 

 with statewide average annual rainfall in Florida, 1980-2005......................................... 37

37. Historical total population, freshwater, and saline-water withdrawals in 

 Florida, 1950-2005..................................................................................................................... 37

38. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by source, 1950-2005 ............................. 37

39. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by category, 1975-2005.......................... 39
vii

Tables

1. Total water withdrawals in Florida by category, 2005 ............................................................7

2. Total water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005 ................................................................9

3. Total groundwater withdrawals by principal aquifer in Florida by 

county, 2005 ..........................................................................................................................11

4. Public-supplied population, water use, withdrawals, transfers, and treated 

water in Florida by county, 2005........................................................................................14

5. Estimated public-supply water use (deliveries), and per capita use in Florida 

by county, 2005.....................................................................................................................16

6. Domestic self-supplied population and water withdrawals in Florida by 

county, 2005 ..........................................................................................................................19

7. Commercial-industrial self-supplied (includes mining) water withdrawals 

in Florida by county, 2005 ...................................................................................................21

8. Agricultural self-supplied water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005 .........................23

9. Acres irrigated, irrigation system type, and water use by crop type in 

Florida, 2005..........................................................................................................................25

10. Recreational irrigation water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005...............................28

11. Power-generation water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005 ......................................31

12. Water withdrawals by category in Florida by water management 

district, 2005..........................................................................................................................33

13. Historical population and water withdrawals in Florida by source, 1950-2005................38

14. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by category, 1970-2005...............................40
viii

Conversion Factors and Abbreviations

Multiply By To obtain

Area

acre (ac) 4,047 square meter

acre (ac) 0.00156 square mile

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter

mile (mi) 1.608 kilometer

Flow rate

gallon per day (gal/d) 3.785 liter per day

million gallons per day (Mgal/d) 0.003785 million cubic meters per day

Energy

gigawatt-hour (GWh) 0.001 megawatt-hour

Acronyms

AFSIRS Agricultural Field Scale Irrigation Requirements Simulation

FDACS Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

FDEP Florida Department of Environmental Protection

NWFWMD Northwest Florida Water Management District

SJRWMD St. Johns River Water Management District

SFWMD South Florida Water Management District

SWFWMD Southwest Florida Water Management District

SRWMD Suwannee River Water Management District

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

WMD Water Management District

Acronyms shown as affiliations in written commun., for consistency.
Abstract

In 2005, the total amount of water withdrawals in Florida 

was estimated at 18,359 million gallons per day (Mgal/d). 

Saline water accounted for 11,486 Mgal/d (63 percent), and 

freshwater accounted for 6,873 Mgal/d (37 percent). Groundwater accounted for 4,247 Mgal/d (62 percent) of freshwater 

withdrawals, and surface water accounted for the remaining 

2,626 Mgal/d (38 percent). Surface water accounted for nearly 

all (99.9 percent) saline-water withdrawals. An additional 

660 Mgal/d of reclaimed wastewater was used in Florida during 

2005. The largest amount of freshwater was withdrawn from 

Palm Beach County, and the largest amount of saline water was 

withdrawn from Pasco County.

Fresh groundwater provided drinking water (public 

supplied and self-supplied) for 16.19 million people (90 percent 

of Florida’s population), and fresh surface water provided 

drinking water for 1.73 million people (10 percent). The 

majority of groundwater withdrawals (nearly 60 percent) in 

2005 was obtained from the Floridan aquifer system which 

is present throughout the entire State. The majority of fresh 

surface-water withdrawals (59 percent) came from the southern 

Florida hydrologic unit subregion and is associated with Lake 

Okeechobee and the canals in the Everglades Agricultural Area 

of Glades, Hendry, and Palm Beach Counties, as well as the 

Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries in the agricultural areas 

of Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties. 

Overall, agricultural irrigation accounted for 40 percent of 

the total freshwater withdrawals (ground and surface), followed 

by public supply with 37 percent. Public supply accounted 

for 52 percent of groundwater withdrawals, followed by 

agricultural self-supplied (31 percent), commercial-industrialmining self-supplied (8.5 percent), recreational irrigation and 

domestic self-supplied (4 percent each), and power generation (0.5 percent). Agricultural self-supplied accounted for 

56 percent of fresh surface-water withdrawals, followed by 

power generation (20.5 percent), public supply (13 percent), 

recreational irrigation (6 percent), and commercial-industrial 

self-supplied (4.5 percent). Power generation accounted for 

nearly all (99.9 percent) saline-water withdrawals.

Of the 17.92 million people who resided in Florida during 

2005, 41 percent (7.36 million people) resided in the South 

Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), followed by 

the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and 

the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) 

with 25 percent each (4.46 and 4.44 million people, respectively), the Northwest Florida Water Management District 

(NWFWMD) with 7.5 percent (1.34 million people), and the 

Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) with 

1.5 percent (0.32 million people). The largest amount of freshwater withdrawals was from the SFWMD, which was one-half 

(50 percent) of the State’s total freshwater withdrawals, followed by the SJRWMD (19 percent), SWFWMD (16 percent), 

NWFWMD (10 percent), and SRWMD (5 percent). 

Between 1950 and 2005, the population of Florida 

increased by 15.15 million (550 percent), and the total water 

withdrawals (fresh and saline) increased 15,700 Mgal/d 

(600 percent). More recently, total withdrawals decreased 

1,790 Mgal/d (9 percent) between 2000 and 2005, but the 

total population increased by 1.94 million (12 percent). 

Between 1990 and 2005, saline-water withdrawals increased 

1,120 Mgal/d (11 percent), whereas between 2000 and 2005, 

saline-water withdrawals decreased 470 Mgal/d (4 percent). 

Between 1990 and 2005, freshwater withdrawals decreased 

710 Mgal/d (9 percent), whereas between 2000 and 2005, 

freshwater withdrawals decreased 1,320 Mgal/d (16 percent). 

The use of highly mineralized groundwater as a source 

of supply, primarily for public supply, also has increased in 

Florida. This water, referred as nonpotable water, increased 

from just less than 2 Mgal/d in 1970, to 142 Mgal/d in 2005. 

Nonpotable water is treated to meet drinking-water standards 

and is mostly used along the east and west coasts of central 

and south Florida. The use of reclaimed wastewater increased 

from 206 Mgal/d in 1986 to nearly 660 Mgal/d in 2005. About 

one-half of the reclaimed wastewater flow in 2005 was used to 

reduce potable-quality water withdrawals for urban irrigation, 

agricultural irrigation, and industrial use, but one-third of the 

reclaimed wastewater was returned to available water supplies 

as aquifer recharge.

Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

By Richard L. Marella
2 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

 Introduction

Water is among Florida’s most valued resources. The State 

has more than 1,700 streams and rivers, 7,800 freshwater lakes, 

700 springs, 11 million acres of wetlands, and underlying aquifers yielding significant quantities of freshwater necessary for 

human and environmental needs (Fernald and Purdum, 1998). 

Although renewable, these water resources are finite, and continued growth in population, tourism, and agriculture will place 

increased demands on these water sources.

The resident population of Florida in 2005 totaled 

17.92 million (University of Florida, 2006), ranking fourth in the 

Nation (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006a). This represents an increase 

in population of about 550 percent from the 1950 population of 

2.77 million (Dietrich, 1978), and a 12 percent increase from 

the 2000 population of 15.98 million (University of Florida, 

2006) (fig. 1). Florida’s population is projected to reach nearly 

20 million by the year 2010, and nearly 24 million by the year 

2020 (Smith and Rayer, 2007) (fig. 1). In addition to the State’s 

resident population, nearly 86 million people visited Florida in 

2005 (Orlando Business Journal, 2006). Freshwater is vital for 

Florida’s permanent and seasonal residents, and demands will 

continue to increase.

Accurate estimates reflecting water use and trends in 

Florida are compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 

cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Northwest Florida Water Management District, 

St. Johns River Water Management District, South Florida Water 

Management District, Southwest Florida Water Management 

District, and Suwannee River Water Management District. This 

coordinated effort provides the necessary data and information 

for planning future water needs and resource management in 

Florida. Water-use estimates for Florida are presented in this 

report by category, county, water source, and water management 

district (WMD).

Purpose and Scope

Water-use data for 2005 were summarized and published in 

a USGS fact sheet (Marella, 2008); however, this report provides 

far greater detail on the quantities of water withdrawn in 2005 

and on trends in water use between 1950 and 2005. Overall, the 

report provides a basis for estimating water budgets and projecting future water needs. Data are presented on water withdrawals in Florida for each of the following water use categories: 

public supply, domestic self-supplied, commercial-industrial 

self-supplied (including mining uses), agricultural self-supplied 

(including irrigation and nonirrigation uses), recreational irrigation (including golf-course irrigation), and power generation. 

Data are not presented for instream (nonwithdrawal) water use, 

such as hydroelectric power generation, navigation, water-based 

recreation, propagation of fish and wildlife, and dilution and 

conveyance of liquid or solid waste. This report also does not 

include data on the amount of water discharged from wastewater-treatment facilities, septic tanks, or retention ponds. 

Within each category, withdrawal data are presented by 

source (ground or surface water) and, where sufficient data 

are available, seasonal and historical patterns of water use are 

described. Data also are presented by county and WMD (fig. 2) for 

each water-use category. Information about specific public-supply 

water systems and domestic wastewater facilities can be obtained 

by contacting the USGS office in Tallahassee or by visiting the 

USGS website at http://fl.water.usgs.gov/infodata/wateruse.html.

Previous Investigations

This report is the tenth in a series of reports documenting 

the results of water-use investigations in Florida. Statewide water-use data for Florida were published for 1965 

and 1970 (Pride, 1973, 1975); for 1975, 1977, and 1980 

(Leach, 1978, 1983; and Leach and Healy, 1980); and for 

1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000 (Marella, 1988, 1992, 1999, 

2004). These reports included assessments of all water uses 

in Florida, by county, for the following categories: publicsupply, domestic self-supplied, commercial-industrial 

self-supplied, agricultural irrigation and nonirrigation, 

Figure 1. Historical and projected population of Florida, 

1950-2030. From Dietrick (1978), University of Florida 

(2006), and Smith and Rayer (2007).

The agricultural sector in Florida also depends heavily on 

the State’s water resources. In 2005, Florida produced two-thirds 

(67 percent) of the total citrus produced in the United States, and 

ranked fifth in the Nation in all crops with receipts, and tenth 

in total cash receipts (Florida Department of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services, 2006). Agricultural production is expected 

to increase because of the subtropical climate and demands from 

the growing population. Information on the amount of water 

required to support future agricultural growth is needed.

2020 2030

YEAR

PROJECTED

10

15

30

20

25

5

0

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

POPULATION, IN MILLIONS
 Introduction 3

Figure 2. Counties and water management districts in Florida. Modified from Fernald and Purdum, 1998.

recreational irrigation, and power-generation. Historical 

water-use data for Florida and each county for all freshwater 

withdrawals by category between 1965 and 2005 are available from the USGS Florida Water Science Center website at 

http://fl.water.usgs.gov/infodata/wateruse.html

Prior to 1965, state water-use data were only published 

at the national level. Nationwide summaries of water-use data 

were published for 1950, 1955, and 1960 (MacKichan, 1951, 

1957; and MacKichan and Kammerer, 1961). These reports 

included detailed water-use data at the state level, but did not 

include water-use data for counties. Nationwide summaries, 

including data for Florida, also were published by the USGS 

for 1965, 1970, 1975 (Murray, 1968; and Murray and Reeves, 

1972, 1977); for 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 (Solley and others, 

1983, 1988, 1993, 1998), and for 2000 (Hutson and others, 

2004) and 2005 (Kenny and others, 2009). National and state 

data for 2005 and prior years are available on the USGS 

National web page http://water.usgs.gov/watuse/.

0 25 50 75 100 MILES

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

31°

30°

29°

28°

27°

26°

25°

87° 86° 85° 84° 83° 82° 81° 80°

ESCAMBIA

TAMPA BAY

Lake Okeechobee

FLORIDA KEYS

HILLSBOROUGH

BREVARD

JEFFERSON

OKALOOSA

SUWANNEE

COLUMBIA

UNION

FLAGLER

SUMTER

HIGHLANDS

SARASOTA

OKEECHOBEE

MONROE

PINELLAS

INDIAN

RIVER

LEE

ORANGE

PASCO

OSCEOLA

LAKE

BAKER

MARION

CLAY

DUVAL

NASSAU

PUTNAM ALACHUA

SANTA

ROSA

WALTON

HOLMES

BAY

JACKSON

GADSDEN

GULF FRANKLIN

LIBERTY WAKULLA

LEON MADISON

HAMILTON

TAYLOR

DIXIE

LEVY

VOLUSIA

CITRUS

HERNANDO

SEMINOLE

POLK

HARDEE

DE SOTO

ST.

LUCIE

MARTIN

MANATEE

GLADES

HENDRY PALM BEACH

BROWARD

COLLIER

MIAMI-DADE

CHARLOTTE

WASHINGTON

CALHOUN

LAFAYETTE

GILCHRIST

BRADFORD

ST. JOHNS

ALABAMA

GEORGIA

NORTHWEST FLORIDA

WATER MANAGEMENT

DISTRICT

SUWANNEE RIVER

WATER MANAGEMENT

DISTRICT

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

WATER MANAGEMENT

DISTRICT

SOUTH FLORIDA

WATER MANAGEMENT

DISTRICT

ST. JOHNS RIVER

WATER MANAGEMENT

DISTRICT

ATLANTIC OCEAN

GULF OF MEXICO
4 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Additional water-use reports have been published by 

selected WMDs between 1975 and 2005. SJRWMD and 

SWFWMD have published annual water-use reports since 

1977; NWFWMD, SFWMD, and SRWMD have intermittently published reports between 1977 and 1985. Detailed 

water-use data for 2005 were published by SWFWMD 

(2007), and a summary fact sheet for 2005 was published by 

SJRWMD (2006). Historical water-use data for all freshwater between 1975 and 2005 for each WMD are available at the USGS Florida Water Science Center website at 

http://fl.water.usgs.gov/infodata/wateruse. In addition, a 

complete water-use bibliography for Florida is available at 

this website.

Data Sources and Limitations

As part of the USGS National Water-Use Information 

Program, water-use data are collected and compiled for each 

state every 5 years (Solley and others, 1988). Data for 2005 

were collected under the guidelines provided by the USGS 

(Hutson, 2007). Data for each state are reported by major 

water-use category and county with some states also reporting 

by hydrologic unit (basin) and aquifer. Water-use data for Florida were compiled through an ongoing cooperative program 

with the FDEP as part of the 2005 National Water-Use Information Program. Data also were obtained from FDEP (Drinking Water and Wastewater Sections), NWFWMD, SRWMD, 

SJRWMD, SWFWMD, and SFWMD, as well as from various 

utilities, industries, and power companies. Specific data 

sources for each category or source are listed below.

Public supply.—Data for public-supply withdrawals were 

obtained from FDEP’s Drinking Water Section (monthly operating reports), the five WMDs (consumptive water-use permit 

files or annual reports), or directly from the water supplier. All 

water-use values for this category are from metered data.

The population served value for each public supplier 

was determined by one of three methods: (1) estimated using 

the number of service connections (obtained from FDEP 

monthly operating reports) multiplied by the number of 

people per household per county (Smith and Cody, 2006); 

(2) estimated from published population studies for selected 

cities (University of Florida, 2006); and (3) estimated by the 

individual WMDs from their water-supply planning documents. Population served values in NWFWMD and SRWMD 

were estimated by the USGS from data obtained from FDEP. 

Population estimates for SFWMD were obtained from their 

Water Supply Plans and compiled by the USGS. Estimates for 

population served by SJRWMD and SWFWMD were made 

by the respective district (St. Johns River Water Management 

District, 2006; Southwest Florida Water Management District, 

2007). Values for SWFWMD were modified to remove seasonal population estimates so they would be consistent with 

the other four WMDs.

Domestic self-supplied.—Domestic self-supplied 

populations are derived by subtracting the population served 

by the public-supply systems from the total county population. Domestic self-supplied withdrawals are calculated by 

multiplying the 2005 statewide domestic per capita use of 

95 gal/d by the self-supplied population served for each 

county (detailed in the public-supply section). Withdrawal 

estimates for the counties within SJRWMD and SWFWMD 

were calculated by the districts using the public supply per 

capita or an adjusted per capita (St. Johns River Water Management District, 2006; Southwest Florida Water Management 

District, 2007). All water used for domestic self-supplied is 

assumed to be obtained from groundwater. Values for this 

category are estimated.

Commercial-industrial self-supplied.—Data for commercial, 

industrial, and mining withdrawals were obtained from 

FDEP’s Drinking Water Section (monthly operating reports), 

the five WMDs (consumptive water-use permit files or annual 

reports), or directly from the user. Most of the water-use 

values for this category are from metered data. 

Agricultural self-supplied.—Water withdrawals for 

irrigation were estimated by using irrigated crop acreage multiplied by a use coefficient (usually in inches per acre) generated from selected irrigation models for each crop. Withdrawal 

estimates for NWFWMD, SFWMD, and SRWMD were made 

by the USGS. Estimates for SJRWMD and SWFWMD were 

provided by these agencies. Only a small percentage (about 

10 to 15 percent) of the water-use estimates in 2005 for agricultural self-supplied were derived from actual metered data.

Acreage data were obtained by the USGS and WMDs 

from a variety of sources: (1) Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Florida Agricultural 

Statistics Service (Florida Department of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services, 2006); (2) U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2002 Census of Agriculture, Florida (U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, 2004); (3) WMDs’ consumptive water-use 

permit files; (4) WMDs’ water-supply plans along with their 

needs and sources documents; and (5) University of Florida, 

Institute of Food and Agriculture Science, County Extension 

Offices. The data obtained for each crop from the 2002 Census 

of Agriculture were updated with totals from the Florida 

Agricultural Statistic Service to reflect 2005 information. The 

total number of acres for selected crops for each county was 

obtained from these sources, as well as the acreage that was 

irrigated. These crops include: vegetables (cabbage/lettuce, 

cucumbers/pickles, peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelons/cantaloupes, and many other small vegetables); fruit crops 

(blueberries, citrus, grapes, peaches, strawberries, and other 

fruit-bearing crops or trees); field crops (cotton, field corn, 

peanuts, potatoes, rice, soybeans, sugarcane, tobacco, wheat, 

and other field-based crops, including seeds); ornamentals 

(field grown, greenhouse grown, and container grown); and 

grasses (pasture, hay, and sod). 

The supplemental irrigation coefficient used to determine 

the amount of water needed per crop was obtained from the 

Agricultural Field Scale Irrigation Requirements Simulation 

(AFSIRS) model (Smajstrla, 1986). Other models that also 

may have provided some coefficients include the modified 

Blaney-Criddle irrigation model, the U.S. Soil Conservation 

Service “Irrigation Water Requirements, 1970, revised” (U.S. 
 Introduction 5

Soil Conservation Service, 1970), and the “Florida Irrigation 

Guide” (U.S. Soil Conservation Service, 1982). In some 

cases, actual metered data may have been used to determine 

supplemental irrigation coefficients for selected crops within 

some WMDs. For 2005, AFSIRS was the primary source 

of most coefficients in all five WMDs, compared to previous years when Blaney-Criddle also was used to provide 

many coefficients. 

Supplemental irrigation application rates (in inches per acre) 

generated from these sources were multiplied by the number of 

irrigated acres to yield water-use estimates. From these values, 

estimates of the water sources (ground or surface) were made 

by using information from WMD consumptive water-use permit files or were obtained from previous year’s data. Supplemental irrigation rates include the amount of water needed to 

grow each crop, the amount of water necessary to overcome 

the inefficiency of the irrigation system, and water used for 

frost and freeze protection.

Withdrawal estimates for livestock and fish farming were 

provided by the USGS (John Lovelace, USGS, written commun., 2007) and (Lovelace, 2009 a and b) or obtained from the 

WMDs. Estimates for livestock and fish farming were made 

by the WMDs from their consumptive water permits for those 

counties within NWFWMD, SFWMD, and SRWMD. Values 

for SWFWMD were obtained from that agency’s 2005 wateruse report (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 

2007, app. A). No withdrawal estimates for livestock or fish 

farming were made for 2005 by SJRWMD.

Recreational irrigation.—Recreational irrigation includes 

the application of water on lands to assist in the growing of 

turf grass and landscape vegetation for lawns or recreation 

purposes, and also includes water used for aesthetic purposes. Turf-grass recreation includes the golf-course irrigation (including all grass and landscape associated with golf 

courses), and all grass and landscape irrigation associated with 

athletic fields, cemeteries, common public or highway areas, 

parks, playgrounds, and lawns (primarily nonresidential, but 

may include some residential lawns). 

Water withdrawals for recreational irrigation were 

estimated by using irrigated acreage multiplied by a use coefficient (usually in inches per acre) generated from selected 

irrigation models for each crop. Withdrawal estimates for 

NWFWMD, SFWMD, and SRWMD were made by the 

USGS. Estimates for SJRWMD and SWFWMD were provided by these agencies. Only a small percentage (about 10 to 

15 percent) of the water-use estimates for 2005 were derived 

from actual metered data.

Acreage data were obtained by the USGS and WMDs 

from a variety of sources, including the National Golf Foundation (2006); and the WMDs’ consumptive water-use permit 

files, water-supply plans, and their needs and sources documents. Acreage data for golf courses were estimated from the 

number of golf-course holes per county multiplied by 6 acres 

per hole and 5 acres per hole irrigated. All other acreage data 

were obtained from the WMDs.

The supplemental irrigation coefficient used to determine 

the amount of water needed per crop was obtained from the 

AFSIRS model (Smajstrla, 1986). Other models that also may 

have provided some coefficients include the modified BlaneyCriddle irrigation model, or the U.S. Soil Conservation Service “Irrigation Water Requirements, 1970, revised” (U.S. Soil 

Conservation Service, 1970), or the “Florida Irrigation Guide” 

(U.S. Soil Conservation Service, 1982). In some cases, actual 

metered data may have been used to determine supplemental 

irrigation coefficients for turf grass within some WMDs.

Supplemental irrigation application rates (in inches per 

acre) generated from these sources were multiplied by the 

number of irrigated acres, and a water-use value was calculated. From this value, estimates of the water sources (ground 

or surface) were provided by the WMDs’ consumptive 

water-use permit files.

Power generation.—Data for power-generation 

withdrawals were obtained by the USGS directly from the 

power companies. Some additional data were obtained from 

the WMDs (consumptive water-use permit files or annual 

reports) or the Energy Information Administration database of 

the U.S. Department of Energy (Susan Hutson, USGS, written 

commun., 2007). Withdrawal data were collected for ground 

and surface waters, both fresh and saline sources. Information 

on the amount of water purchased from public supplies was 

obtained from each facility along with the total gross power 

generated. Most of the water-use values for this category are 

from metered data.

Wastewater discharges.—Data for domestic, industrial, 

and septic-tank wastewater discharges were not available for this report. Wastewater totals for 2005 are being 

collected and compiled and will be made available sometime after this report is published at the USGS web page 

http://fl.water.usgs.gov/infodata/wateruse. Information on 

water reuse was obtained from the FDEP’s Domestic Wastewater Section, 2005 Reuse Inventory (Florida Department of 

Environmental Protection, 2006). 

Aquifer withdrawals.—Estimates of water withdrawals 

by aquifer were made for each category. For public supply, 

commercial-industrial self-supplied, and power generation, 

information for the primary aquifer used for each well field or 

facility was obtained by permit from the WMDs’ consumptive 

water-use permit file. Estimates were made for domestic selfsupplied, agricultural self-supplied, and recreational irrigation by using information obtained from several groundwater 

studies conducted throughout the State that detailed estimates 

of withdrawals for selected aquifers in specific counties or 

areas (Duerr and others, 1988, Knowles and others, 2002, 

Sepulveda, 2002, and Shoemaker and Edwards, 2003) or were 

made from information obtained from local county agencies 

(Florida Department of Health, County Health Department, 

Environmental Permitting) that regulate private well construction. In counties with no information, estimates were made 

by assuming that 90 percent of water withdrawals were from 

the primary aquifer used for public supply and the remaining 

10 percent from the local water table or shallow aquifer.
6 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Accuracy.—Water withdrawals and use data presented in 

this report represent the average daily quantities used, calculated from monthly totals or derived from annual totals, and 

are expressed in million gallons per day. Water-use values 

presented in the tables are reported to two places to the right 

of the decimal or to the nearest 10,000 gal/d. Water-use values in 

the text are rounded to the nearest million gallons per day, and percentages are rounded. Water-use data published in this report may 

not be identical to the water-use data published by the WMDs 

or FDEP because of differences in data-collection procedures, 

categories, and methodology. In addition, some values in this 

report may differ from those published earlier for 2005 (Marella, 

2008), as new or additional data were obtained between the 

printing of that report and the completion of this report. 

The accuracy of these values varies by category. 

Public-supply values usually are more accurate because most 

public-supply systems meter water usage, whereas agricultural 

self-supplied or domestic self-supplied values usually are estimated. However, a small percentage of the irrigation values 

(agricultural and recreational) for 2005 were obtained from 

metered data.

Changes.—Some changes in water-use categories have 

occurred in Florida between 1970 and 2005. Most categories have 

remained the same since 1970, with some exceptions. During the 

1970s, rural water use consisted of domestic self-supplied and 

livestock. In the 1980s, livestock was added to the agricultural, 

and domestic self-supplied became a separate category. For many 

reports, agricultural water use has included all irrigation, but in 

1995, golf-course and other recreational irrigation were removed 

from the agricultural water-use category and placed within a 

separate category called recreational irrigation. Because water use 

for golf courses was differentiated for 1985 and 1990, data for recreational irrigation was subtracted from agriculture for those years. 

Agricultural self-supplied was called irrigation in the 1970s, then 

became agricultural irrigation in the 1980s with the addition of livestock and removal of recreation irrigation. Commercial-industrial 

self-supplied was previously called industrial water use, and power 

generation was previously called thermoelectric power generation.

Miscellaneous water withdrawals and uses included in 

county totals presented in the 1985 water-use report (Marella, 

1988) included water withdrawals for residential lawn irrigation, residential heat pumps and air-conditioning units, and 

water discharged from free-flowing wells. Because of the 

inconsistency in data from county to county for these uses, they 

were not included in the 1985 statewide totals (Marella, 1988). 

Since 1985, some data on residential lawn watering for several 

counties have been updated and are included in the recreational 

irrigation section of this report under turf grass. Water used by 

residential heat pumps and air-conditioning units and water 

discharged from free-flowing wells remain inconsistent between 

counties and are not included in this report.

Data for Miami-Dade County prior to 2000 are reported 

under Dade County. In 1997, Dade County officially became 

Miami-Dade County, and all data presented herein is listed 

under Miami-Dade County. Polk County, which was divided 

among three WMDs (SJRWMD, SFWMD, and SWFWMD), 

was redeliniated into two WMDs in 2003, as the part of 

the county within SJRWMD was officially relinquished to 

SWFWMD in 2004. Therefore, all data after 2003 for Polk 

County will reflect totals for SFWMD and SWFWMD only. 

View of downtown Orlando, Florida. Photograph courtesy of the St. Johns River Water Management District. 
 Water Withdrawals and Use 7

Figure 3. Total water withdrawals in Florida by 

source, 2005.

Table 1. Total water withdrawals in Florida by category, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day]

Florida 2005

Freshwater Saline water All water

Ground Surface Total Ground Surface Total Total

Public supply 2,201.26 339.26 2,540.52 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,540.52

Domestic self-supplied 190.38 0.00 190.38 0.00 0.00 0.00 190.38

Commercial-industrial self-supplied 365.56 122.77 488.33 0.00 1.19 1.19 489.52

Agricultural self-supplied 1,301.57 1,464.61 2,766.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,766.18

Recreational irrigation 171.03 158.61 329.64 0.00 0.00 0.00 329.64

Power generation 17.56 540.52 558.08 3.26 11,481.10 11,484.36 12,042.44

State totals: 4,247.36 2,625.77 6,873.13 3.26 11,482.29 11,485.55 18,358.68

 Water Withdrawals and Use 

In 2005, the total water withdrawals in Florida was 

estimated at 18,359 Mgal/d (table 1). Saline water accounted 

for 11,486 Mgal/d (63 percent) and freshwater accounted for 

6,873 Mgal/d (37 percent) of total water withdrawals in 2005 

(fig. 3). Groundwater accounted for 4,247 Mgal/d (62 percent) 

of freshwater withdrawals, and surface water accounted for the 

remaining 2,626 Mgal/d (38 percent). Surface water accounted 

for nearly all (99.9 percent) saline-water withdrawals (table 1). 

An additional 660 Mgal/d of reclaimed wastewater was used 

in Florida during 2005 (Florida Department of Environmental 

Protection, 2006). About one-half of the reclaimed wastewater flow in 2005 was used to reduce potable-quality water 

withdrawals for urban irrigation, agricultural irrigation, and 

industrial use, but one-third of the reclaimed wastewater 

was returned to available water supplies as aquifer recharge 

(Gregory M. Brown, FDEP, written commun., 2008).

FRESH

SURFACE

WATER

14 percent

SALINE SURFACE

WATER

63 percent

Note: Saline groundwater was less than 0.1 percent

FRESH

GROUNDWATER

23 percent

The amount of monthly freshwater withdrawals fluctuates 

because of variations in temperature, precipitation (rainfall), 

crop production, and tourism. Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) 

of freshwater withdrawals in 2005 were in April and May 

(fig. 4). Seasonal variation in withdrawals is typical with more 

monthly fluctuation occurring in relatively drier years. 

Overall, agricultural self-supplied was the largest user of 

freshwater in 2005, accounting for 40 percent of total freshwater withdrawals, followed by public supply at 37 percent. For 

fresh groundwater, public supply (52 percent) and agricultural 

self-supplied (31 percent) were the largest users in 2005, followed by commercial-industrial self-supplied (including mining) 

(8.5 percent), domestic self-supplied (4 percent), recreational 

irrigation (4 percent), and power generation (0.5 percent) 

(fig. 5 and table 1). For fresh surface water, agricultural 

self-supplied (56 percent) was the largest user in 2005, followed 

by power generation (20.5 percent), public supply (13 percent), 

recreational irrigation (6 percent), and commercial-industrial 

self-supplied (4.5 percent) (fig. 5 and table 1). Power generation 

accounted for nearly all (99.9 percent) saline-water withdrawals.

The largest amount of fresh surface-water withdrawals 

came from Palm Beach County, and the largest amount of 

saline surface-water withdrawals came from Pasco County 

(table 2). Significant withdrawals (more than 200 Mgal/d) of 

fresh groundwater were in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Broward, Orange, and Polk Counties. Significant withdrawals 

(more than 200 Mgal/d) of fresh surface water occurred in 

Palm Beach, Escambia, and Hendry Counties.
8 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Figure 4. Average daily freshwater withdrawals 

by month in Florida, 2005.

Figure 5. Fresh groundwater and surface-water withdrawals in Florida by category, 2005.

10,000

9,000

8,000

7,000

6,000

4,000

2005

J F M A M J J A S O N D

11,000

5,000

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

AVERAGE DAILY

WITHDRAWAL,

6,873 MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY

RECREATIONAL IRRIGATION

4 percent

AGRICULTURAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

31 percent

COMMERCIALINDUSTRIAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

8.5 percent

DOMESTIC

SELF-SUPPLIED

4 percent

PUBLIC

SUPPLY

52 percent

RECREATIONAL

IRRIGATION

6 percent

POWER GENERATION

20.5 percent

PUBLIC SUPPLY

13 percent

COMMERCIALINDUSTRIAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

4.5 percent

AGRICULTURAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

56 percent

GROUNDWATER

62 percent

SURFACE

WATER

38 percent

NOTE: Groundwater withdrawals for power generation accounted for about 0.5 percent.
 Water Withdrawals and Use 9

Table 2. Total water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day]

County

Groundwater Surface water Total water

Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total

Alachua 59.89 0.00 59.89 0.67 0.00 0.67 60.56 0.00 60.56

Baker 6.62 0.00 6.62 0.92 0.00 0.92 7.54 0.00 7.54

Bay 6.89 0.00 6.89 45.11 240.06 285.17 52.00 240.06 292.06

Bradford 7.80 0.00 7.80 0.06 0.00 0.06 7.86 0.00 7.86

Brevard 69.83 0.00 69.83 22.62 868.02 890.64 92.45 868.02 960.47

Broward 277.86 0.00 277.86 31.04 1,529.21 1,560.25 308.90 1,529.21 1,838.11

Calhoun 3.00 0.00 3.00 0.43 0.00 0.43 3.43 0.00 3.43

Charlotte 16.18 0.00 16.18 23.95 0.00 23.95 40.13 0.00 40.13

Citrus 30.14 0.00 30.14 0.42 1,676.58 1,677.00 30.56 1,676.58 1,707.14

Clay 22.71 0.00 22.71 0.39 0.00 0.39 23.10 0.00 23.10

Collier 166.05 0.00 166.05 27.35 0.00 27.35 193.40 0.00 193.40

Columbia 12.28 0.00 12.28 0.21 0.00 0.21 12.49 0.00 12.49

DeSoto 45.41 0.00 45.41 21.33 0.00 21.33 66.74 0.00 66.74

Dixie 3.72 0.00 3.72 0.03 0.00 0.03 3.75 0.00 3.75

Duval 165.11 0.00 165.11 6.39 604.81 611.20 171.50 604.81 776.31

Escambia 83.12 0.00 83.12 248.73 0.00 248.73 331.85 0.00 331.85

Flagler 15.51 0.00 15.51 3.75 0.00 3.75 19.26 0.00 19.26

Franklin 2.30 0.00 2.30 0.29 0.00 0.29 2.59 0.00 2.59

Gadsden 10.31 0.00 10.31 7.29 0.00 7.29 17.60 0.00 17.60

Gilchrist 14.60 0.00 14.60 0.29 0.00 0.29 14.89 0.00 14.89

Glades 22.26 0.00 22.26 82.17 0.00 82.17 104.43 0.00 104.43

Gulf 3.03 0.00 3.03 0.02 0.00 0.02 3.05 0.00 3.05

Hamilton 54.49 0.00 54.49 0.37 0.00 0.37 54.86 0.00 54.86

Hardee 32.45 0.00 32.45 0.01 0.00 0.01 32.46 0.00 32.46

Hendry 158.65 0.00 158.65 237.43 0.00 237.43 396.08 0.00 396.08

Hernando 47.82 0.00 47.82 0.77 0.00 0.77 48.59 0.00 48.59

Highlands 106.97 0.00 106.97 11.45 0.00 11.45 118.42 0.00 118.42

Hillsborough 131.76 0.00 131.76 174.05 1,709.50 1,883.55 305.81 1,709.50 2,015.31

Holmes 3.59 0.00 3.59 0.18 0.00 0.18 3.77 0.00 3.77

Indian River 71.59 0.00 71.59 111.99 102.08 214.07 183.58 102.08 285.66

Jackson 17.43 0.00 17.43 103.47 0.00 103.47 120.90 0.00 120.90

Jefferson 13.20 0.00 13.20 0.29 0.00 0.29 13.49 0.00 13.49

Lafayette 8.02 0.00 8.02 0.15 0.00 0.15 8.17 0.00 8.17

Lake 75.79 0.00 75.79 10.38 0.00 10.38 86.17 0.00 86.17

Lee 112.98 0.00 112.98 40.29 556.16 596.45 153.27 556.16 709.43

Leon 42.55 0.00 42.55 0.52 0.00 0.52 43.07 0.00 43.07

Levy 25.86 0.00 25.86 2.96 0.00 2.96 28.82 0.00 28.82

Liberty 1.23 0.00 1.23 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.23 0.00 1.23

Madison 13.96 0.00 13.96 0.33 0.00 0.33 14.29 0.00 14.29

Manatee 96.06 0.00 96.06 45.34 0.00 45.34 141.40 0.00 141.40

Marion 55.63 0.00 55.63 1.36 0.00 1.36 56.99 0.00 56.99

Martin 37.72 0.00 37.72 101.18 0.00 101.18 138.90 0.00 138.90

Miami-Dade 486.45 3.26 489.71 28.30 84.38 112.68 514.75 87.64 602.39

Monroe 0.88 0.00 0.88 0.84 0.00 0.84 1.72 0.00 1.72

Nassau 52.01 0.00 52.01 1.84 1.19 3.03 53.85 1.19 55.04

Okaloosa 29.35 0.00 29.35 0.14 0.00 0.14 29.49 0.00 29.49

Okeechobee 46.51 0.00 46.51 8.43 0.00 8.43 54.94 0.00 54.94

Orange 267.49 0.00 267.49 11.02 0.00 11.02 278.51 0.00 278.51

Osceola 138.72 0.00 138.72 8.45 0.00 8.45 147.17 0.00 147.17

Palm Beach 287.00 0.00 287.00 820.72 424.93 1,245.65 1,107.72 424.93 1,532.65

Pasco 94.96 0.00 94.96 1.89 2,071.37 2,073.26 96.85 2,071.37 2,168.22

Pinellas 27.44 0.00 27.44 2.47 453.92 456.39 29.91 453.92 483.83

Polk 212.13 0.00 212.13 7.80 0.00 7.80 219.93 0.00 219.93

Putnam 23.98 0.00 23.98 49.98 0.00 49.98 73.96 0.00 73.96

St. Johns 32.34 0.00 32.34 3.21 0.00 3.21 35.55 0.00 35.55

St. Lucie 71.46 0.00 71.46 120.76 1,160.08 1,280.84 192.22 1,160.08 1,352.30

Santa Rosa 27.47 0.00 27.47 1.78 0.00 1.78 29.25 0.00 29.25

Sarasota 35.04 0.00 35.04 5.97 0.00 5.97 41.01 0.00 41.01

Seminole 68.28 0.00 68.28 0.94 0.00 0.94 69.22 0.00 69.22

Sumter 19.94 0.00 19.94 4.77 0.00 4.77 24.71 0.00 24.71

Suwannee 26.28 0.00 26.28 76.87 0.00 76.87 103.15 0.00 103.15

Taylor 46.75 0.00 46.75 2.49 0.00 2.49 49.24 0.00 49.24

Union 3.63 0.00 3.63 0.04 0.00 0.04 3.67 0.00 3.67

Volusia 76.62 0.00 76.62 94.62 0.00 94.62 171.24 0.00 171.24

Wakulla 4.70 0.00 4.70 6.37 0.00 6.37 11.07 0.00 11.07

Walton 11.67 0.00 11.67 0.09 0.00 0.09 11.76 0.00 11.76

Washington 3.89 0.00 3.89 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.89 0.00 3.89

State totals: 4,247.36 3.26 4,250.62 2,625.77 11,482.29 14,108.06 6,873.13 11,485.55 18,358.68
10 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Figure 6. Approximate areal extent throughout which principal aquifers in Florida are the primary source 

of groundwater, and quantity of groundwater withdrawals, 2005. The sand-and-gravel aquifer is part of the 

coastal lowlands aquifer system that is present in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas (Miller, 

1990; Renken, 1998). Map modified from Vecchioli and Foose (1985). 

Water Source and Use Category

Florida is the largest user of groundwater east of the 

Mississippi River and ranked sixth in the Nation in groundwater 

withdrawals in 2005 (Kenny and others, 2009). Fresh groundwater withdrawals in 2005 totaled 4,247 Mgal/d and provided 

drinking water for 16.19 million people (90 percent of Florida’s 

population). Groundwater is available throughout the State, and 

generally needs little or no treatment prior to use. However, 

about 5 percent of groundwater is treated or diluted to meet 

drinking water standards (but is still considered freshwater). 

About 2,527 Mgal/d (nearly 60 percent) of groundwater withdrawals in 2005 was obtained from the Floridan aquifer system 

(including 3 Mgal/d of saline water), which underlies the entire 

State (fig. 6). Orange and Polk Counties were the largest users of 

water from the Floridan aquifer system (table 3). The Biscayne 

aquifer supplied 829 Mgal/d (19.5 percent) groundwater withdrawals, and the remaining 21 percent was obtained from the 

surficial aquifer systems (532 Mgal/d), the intermediate aquifer 

(257 Mgal/d), and the sand-and-gravel aquifer (106 Mgal/d) 

(fig. 6 and table 3). The sand-and-gravel aquifer is part of the 

coastal lowlands aquifer system that is present in Alabama, 

Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas (Miller, 1990; Renken, 

1998). The surficial aquifer systems are primarily used for 

private household wells or in areas where the Floridan aquifer 

system is nonpotable or too deep to be used economically. 
 Water Withdrawals and Use 11

Table 3. Total groundwater withdrawals by principal aquifer in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day]

County Floridan Aquifer 

system

Biscayne 

aquifer

Surficial aquifer 

system

Intermediate 

aquifers

Sand-and-gravel 

aquifer Total

Alachua 59.32 0.00 0.57 0.00 0.00 59.89

Baker 6.23 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.00 6.62

Bay 6.74 0.00 0.15 0.00 0.00 6.89

Bradford 7.54 0.00 0.26 0.00 0.00 7.80

Brevard 89.49 0.00 6.05 0.00 0.00 95.54

Broward 0.58 277.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 277.86

Calhoun 2.91 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 3.00

Charlotte 2.71 0.00 1.14 12.33 0.00 16.18

Citrus 29.45 0.00 0.69 0.00 0.00 30.14

Clay 22.34 0.00 0.37 0.00 0.00 22.71

Collier 17.06 0.00 76.22 72.77 0.00 166.05

Columbia 11.91 0.00 0.37 0.00 0.00 12.28

DeSoto 39.29 0.00 0.00 6.12 0.00 45.41

Dixie 3.64 0.00 0.08 0.00 0.00 3.72

Duval 159.09 0.00 6.02 0.00 0.00 165.11

Escambia 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 83.12 83.12

Flagler 8.17 0.00 7.34 0.00 0.00 15.51

Franklin 2.29 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 2.30

Gadsden 10.15 0.00 0.16 0.00 0.00 10.31

Gilchrist 14.46 0.00 0.14 0.00 0.00 14.60

Glades 7.84 0.00 13.71 0.71 0.00 22.26

Gulf 2.64 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.00 3.03

Hamilton 54.42 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.00 54.49

Hardee 28.33 0.00 0.00 4.12 0.00 32.45

Hendry 0.00 0.00 56.83 101.82 0.00 158.65

Hernando 47.58 0.00 0.24 0.00 0.00 47.82

Highlands 91.66 0.00 0.04 15.27 0.00 106.97

Hillsborough 130.40 0.00 0.06 1.30 0.00 131.76

Holmes 3.46 0.00 0.13 0.00 0.00 3.59

Indian River 57.55 0.00 14.04 0.00 0.00 71.59

Jackson 17.12 0.00 0.31 0.00 0.00 17.43

Jefferson 13.11 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 13.20

Lafayette 7.96 0.00 0.06 0.00 0.00 8.02

Lake 75.14 0.00 0.65 0.00 0.00 75.79

Lee 41.60 0.00 49.75 21.63 0.00 112.98

Leon 42.14 0.00 0.41 0.00 0.00 42.55

Levy 25.57 0.00 0.29 0.00 0.00 25.86

Liberty 1.18 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.00 1.23

Madison 13.85 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.00 13.96

Manatee 92.01 0.00 0.00 4.05 0.00 96.06

Marion 54.10 0.00 1.53 0.00 0.00 55.63

Martin 8.62 0.00 29.10 0.00 0.00 37.72

Miami-Dade (1)3.50 486.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 (1)489.71

Monroe 0.82 0.02 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.88

Nassau 45.75 0.00 6.26 0.00 0.00 52.01

Okaloosa 29.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 29.35

Okeechobee 36.94 0.00 9.57 0.00 0.00 46.51

Orange 240.73 0.00 1.05 0.00 0.00 241.78

Osceola 135.41 0.00 3.31 0.00 0.00 138.72

Palm Beach 10.56 65.39 211.05 0.00 0.00 287.00

Pasco 94.49 0.00 0.47 0.00 0.00 94.96

Pinellas 27.33 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.00 27.44

Polk 207.18 0.00 0.12 4.83 0.00 212.13

Putnam 22.95 0.00 1.03 0.00 0.00 23.98

St. Johns 30.36 0.00 1.98 0.00 0.00 32.34

St. Lucie 43.46 0.00 28.00 0.00 0.00 71.46

Santa Rosa 5.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 22.35 27.47

Sarasota 22.94 0.00 0.08 12.02 0.00 35.04

Seminole 68.01 0.00 0.27 0.00 0.00 68.28

Sumter 19.73 0.00 0.21 0.00 0.00 19.94

Suwannee 26.01 0.00 0.27 0.00 0.00 26.28

Taylor 46.67 0.00 0.08 0.00 0.00 46.75

Union 3.50 0.00 0.13 0.00 0.00 3.63

Volusia 76.34 0.00 0.28 0.00 0.00 76.62

Wakulla 4.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.70

Walton 11.65 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 11.67

Washington 3.75 0.00 0.14 0.00 0.00 3.89

State totals: (1)2,526.83 828.90 532.36 256.97 105.56 (1)4,250.62 (1) Includes 3.26 Mgal/d of saline groundwater.
12 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Figure 7. General location of hydrologic units in Florida and fresh groundwater and surface-water withdrawals 

within these units, 2005. Map from Seaber and others (1984) and U.S. Geological Survey (1975).

Fresh surface-water withdrawals in 2005 totaled 

2,626 Mgal/d (table 1) and provided drinking water for 

1.73 million people (10 percent of Florida’s population). Surface 

water is available throughout most areas of the State from rivers, 

lakes, or managed and maintained canal systems. Nearly all 

fresh surface water in Florida, however, is nonpotable and needs 

treatment for uses other than irrigation or cooling water. Therefore, the primary use of surface water in Florida is for irrigation 

and power generation, which used more than three-quarters 

(76 percent) of the fresh surface water in 2005 (fig. 5). The 

majority of fresh surface-water withdrawals (59 percent) came 

from the southern Florida hydrologic unit subregion (fig. 7) and 

is associated with Lake Okeechobee and the canals in the Everglades Agricultural Area of Glades, Hendry, and Palm Beach 

Counties as well as the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries 

in the agricultural areas of Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, 

and Lee Counties. Surface water from these sources is most 

often diverted through canals or ditches, then pumped or gravityfed onto fields or groves. A large percentage of the water that is 

flooded onto fields or groves is unused and pumped back into the 

canals or ditches for further use. Throughout Florida, many of 

the canals, ditches, or ponds that are used for irrigation are often 

augmented with groundwater.

Saline surface-water withdrawals in 2005 totaled 

11,482 Mgal/d (table 1). With nearly 1,200 miles of coastline and 

countless coastal rivers and bays (Fernald and Purdum, 1992), 

saline surface water in Florida is abundant. Nearly all salinewater withdrawals in Florida are for power generation and were 

used as cooling water that generated about 60 percent of the 

State’s total electric power in 2005. In the future, saline surface 

water will also be used for public supply and treated through 

desalination (Tampa Bay Water, 2008).
 Water Withdrawals and Use 13

Figure 8. Public-supply groundwater withdrawals in Florida by 

principal aquifer, 2005.

Figure 9. Average daily public-supply freshwater withdrawals by 

month in Florida, 2005.

Public Supply

The public-supply category refers to water distributed 

by a publicly or privately owned community water system. A 

total of 1,903 community water systems in Florida met these 

criteria in 2005 (Edward B. James, FDEP, written commun., 

2008). For this report, water-use data were collected for about 

1,200 systems that either served 400 people or more, or withdrew 10,000 gal/d (0.01 Mgal/d) or more. Water withdrawals from the inventoried systems totaled 2,541 Mgal/d and 

accounted for an estimated 99.8 percent of total public-supply 

withdrawals in 2005. Water withdrawals by the uninventoried 

systems were estimated to be about 6 Mgal/d (703 systems 

multiplied by 0.009 Mgal/d) and would be accounted for 

under the domestic self-supplied category. These totals 

do not include noncommunity public-water systems that 

serve transient populations, such as churches, restaurants, 

theme parks, and others that provide drinking water to a 

nonpermanent population.

Water withdrawals for public supply in Florida in 

2005 totaled 2,541 Mgal/d (table 4). Groundwater supplied 

2,201 Mgal/d (87 percent) and surface water supplied nearly 

340 Mgal/d (13 percent). Nearly 90 percent (16.13 million) 

of the State’s 17.92 million residents obtained their drinking 

water from a public-supply water system (table 4). Of those 

16.13 million residents using public-supply drinking water, 

89 percent (14.40 million) were supplied from groundwater 

sources, and the remaining 11 percent (1.73 million) received 

water from surface-water sources. 

Florida ranked first in the Nation in groundwater withdrawals 

for public supply (Kenny and others, 2009). The Floridan aquifer 

system supplied nearly 53 percent of the total public-supply withdrawals (fig. 8) and served an estimated 8.10 million people. The 

Biscayne aquifer supplied 33 percent of the total public-supply 

withdrawals and served 4.48 million people. 

The Hillsborough River in Hillsborough County supplied 

23 percent of the total surface water for public supply, followed by Deer Point Lake in Bay County (13 percent), and 

Clear Lake in Palm Beach County (9 percent). Other significant surface-water sources of public-supply water include 

the Braden and Manatee Rivers in Manatee County, Lake 

Washington in Brevard County, and the Peace River and 

Shell Creek in Charlotte and De Soto Counties. Some of the 

public-supply water systems that use surface water also augment their water supply with groundwater from standby wells 

used during periods of high demands. In addition, several 

water suppliers inject and store excess fresh surface water that 

becomes available during the wet season into a deep aquifer, 

then recover it during the dry season (if needed) to help offset 

peak demands (Reese, 2006). Values for the amount of water 

injected into groundwater sources for aquifer storage and 

recovery (ASR) systems are not included in this report. 

Public-supply withdrawals in 2005 were smallest in 

December and largest in April, May, and September (fig. 9). 

Seasonal differences in residential demands are caused by 

variations in temperature, precipitation, and tourism. Variations from climatic conditions cause large demands for lawn 

water from public-supply water systems, mostly during the 

drier months. Because precipitation was more normal in 

2005, monthly variation in public-supply water demands 

was much less than previous years (Marella, 2004; Verdi and 

others, 2006, table 13). 

Public suppliers provide water (deliveries) for domestic 

(residential), commercial, industrial, public use (including 

losses), and other uses (see Glossary). Domestic water use, 

BISCAYNE

AQUIFER

33 percent FLORIDAN

AQUIFER

SYSTEM

53 percent

INTERMEDIATE

AQUIFER

1.5 percent

SAND-AND-GRAVEL

AQUIFER

2.5 percent SURFICIAL AQUIFER

SYSTEM

10 percent

J F M A M J J A S O N D

2,800

2,600

2,400

2,200

2005

2,000

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

PUBLIC-SUPPLY

AVERAGE DAILY WITHDRAWAL,

2,541 MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY
14 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Table 4. Public-supplied population, water use, withdrawals, transfers, and treated water in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey; Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; water values in million gallons per day]

County

Population Use Withdrawals Transfers

Treated

water Total Public 

supply Total

Gross 

per 

capita

Total Ground Surface Imports Exports Losses

Alachua 240,764 181,415 27.43 151 27.43 27.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Baker 23,953 4,162 0.86 207 0.86 0.86 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bay 161,721 146,185 47.12 322 47.12 2.03 45.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bradford 28,118 8,900 1.69 190 1.69 1.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Brevard 531,970 512,525 58.61 114 32.90 17.05 15.85 25.71 0.00 0.00 1.38

Broward 1,740,987 1,736,450 263.57 152 263.57 263.57 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.58

Calhoun 13,945 4,282 0.63 147 0.63 0.63 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Charlotte 154,030 120,907 15.07 125 6.37 2.35 4.02 8.70 0.00 0.00 2.25

Citrus 132,635 90,298 15.88 176 15.64 15.64 0.00 0.24 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clay 169,623 128,106 13.96 109 13.96 13.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Collier 317,788 272,630 67.16 246 67.16 61.48 5.68 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.82

Columbia 61,466 22,780 3.58 157 3.58 3.58 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

DeSoto 32,606 10,121 1.20 119 23.88 3.13 20.75 0.00 22.68 0.00 0.00

Dixie 15,377 4,745 0.88 185 0.88 0.88 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Duval 861,150 812,508 137.92 170 137.92 137.92 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Escambia 303,623 289,300 40.45 140 40.45 40.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Flagler 78,617 74,392 8.92 120 8.92 8.92 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Franklin 10,845 10,212 2.13 209 2.13 2.13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Gadsden 47,713 30,970 4.04 130 4.04 4.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Gilchrist 16,221 1,642 0.22 134 0.22 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Glades 10,729 5,650 1.01 179 1.01 1.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Gulf 16,479 15,224 1.82 120 1.82 1.80 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hamilton 14,315 6,000 0.94 157 0.94 0.94 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hardee 27,333 11,180 1.52 136 1.49 1.49 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hendry 38,376 25,510 6.22 244 6.22 1.70 4.52 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hernando 150,784 136,257 23.57 173 22.53 22.52 0.01 1.04 0.00 0.00 0.00

Highlands 93,456 83,886 10.03 120 8.86 8.86 0.00 1.17 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hillsborough 1,131,546 1,116,511 141.44 127 226.96 62.78 164.18 0.00 85.52 0.00 0.00

Holmes 19,157 6,000 1.20 200 1.20 1.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Indian River 130,043 111,132 16.76 151 16.76 16.76 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.70

Jackson 49,691 17,140 2.34 137 2.34 2.34 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jefferson 14,233 5,110 0.78 153 0.78 0.78 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lafayette 7,971 1,275 0.20 157 0.20 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lake 263,017 209,527 40.54 193 40.54 40.54 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lee 549,442 462,635 64.88 140 64.53 60.54 3.99 0.35 0.00 0.00 39.22

Leon 271,111 228,275 33.57 147 33.66 33.66 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00

Levy 37,985 12,494 1.79 143 1.79 1.79 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Liberty 7,581 3,055 0.41 134 0.41 0.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Madison 19,696 7,750 1.44 186 1.44 1.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Manatee 304,364 302,666 40.52 134 50.98 16.20 34.78 0.00 10.46 0.00 0.00

Marion 304,926 161,887 27.87 172 27.17 27.17 0.00 0.70 0.00 0.00 0.00

Martin 141,059 116,150 19.30 166 19.30 19.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.89

Miami-Dade 2,422,075 2,392,900 382.32 160 400.01 400.01 0.00 0.00 17.69 0.00 0.24

Monroe 82,413 82,413 17.69 215 0.00 0.00 0.00 17.69 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nassau 65,759 27,085 6.50 240 6.50 6.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Okaloosa 188,939 181,327 22.07 122 22.07 22.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Okeechobee 37,765 22,700 2.04 90 2.04 0.60 1.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Orange 1,043,437 942,038 178.51 189 204.22 204.20 0.02 0.00 25.71 0.00 0.00

Osceola 235,156 185,770 31.42 169 31.42 31.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Palm Beach 1,265,900 1,145,575 246.67 215 246.67 209.21 37.46 0.00 0.00 0.00 23.54

Pasco 406,898 360,521 43.32 120 74.65 74.65 0.00 0.00 31.33 0.00 0.00

Pinellas 947,744 933,825 106.62 114 23.06 23.06 0.00 83.56 0.00 0.00 0.00

Polk 541,840 529,058 76.05 144 74.59 74.52 0.07 1.46 0.00 0.00 0.00

Putnam 73,764 11,456 2.98 260 2.98 2.98 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

St. Johns 157,278 132,848 14.34 108 14.34 14.34 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

St. Lucie 240,039 193,580 24.85 128 24.85 24.85 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.26

Santa Rosa 136,443 129,115 15.90 123 15.90 15.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sarasota 367,867 356,657 34.14 96 26.35 24.97 1.38 7.79 0.00 0.00 11.84

Seminole 411,744 381,405 56.14 147 56.14 56.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sumter 74,052 57,234 9.53 167 10.33 10.33 0.00 0.00 0.80 0.00 0.00

Suwannee 38,174 9,591 1.49 155 1.49 1.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Taylor 21,310 11,690 2.02 173 2.02 2.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Union 15,046 1,924 0.29 151 0.29 0.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Volusia 494,649 460,694 58.55 127 58.55 58.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Wakulla 26,867 11,250 1.90 169 1.81 1.81 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00

Walton 53,525 51,525 8.92 173 8.92 8.92 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 23,097 8,225 1.04 126 1.04 1.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

State totals: 17,918,227 16,128,250 (1)2,494.77 158 2,540.52 2,201.26 339.26 148.53 194.28 0.00 141.72

(1)Does not include 45.75 million gallons per day that is lost during wholesale transfers.
 Water Withdrawals and Use 15

Figure 10. Public-supply water-use deliveries in Florida, 2005.

which includes indoor and outdoor residential uses, accounted 

for 60.5 percent of the public-supply withdrawals in 2005 

(fig. 10 and table 5). Domestic water use was derived from 

the residual of the total public-supply net water use in each 

county (withdrawals plus imports or minus exports) minus 

the commercial, industrial, public use, and other uses. Commercial and industrial water deliveries were estimated by 

multiplying county employment totals (U.S. Census Bureau, 

2006b) by a water-use coefficient based on average water use 

per employee (Davis and others, 1988) for various commercial and industrial employment sectors (Bucca and Marella, 

1992). Deliveries to commercial (20 percent) and industrial 

(3.5 percent) users in 2005 totaled 591 Mgal/d (504 Mgal/d for 

commercial and 87 Mgal/d for industrial) (fig. 10 and table 5). 

The public-use category includes water used for firefighting 

and system maintenance, as well as all losses from processing to distribution. For the southeastern United States, public 

uses were estimated at 1 percent and losses were estimated at 

14 percent by the American Water Works Association (1992). 

Combined, this category (public uses and losses) totaled 

391 Mgal/d in 2005, or 15 percent of the total public-supply 

withdrawals (fig. 10 and table 5). Losses include 46 Mgal/d 

of wholesale water lost during transmission (as shown in 

table 4), as well as losses that occur during desalination and 

lime softening processes. Some specific data for water losses 

were provided directly from the individual users, estimated 

from data provided by the WMDs, or obtained from FDEP 

monthly operating reports. Other uses include deliveries to a 

host of users not included in commercial or industrial. These 

deliveries would include direct metered uses for irrigation (for 

residential, commercial, and recreational), construction, parks, 

city common areas (including medians), air-conditioning 

replenishing, power generation, and other deliveries that do 

not fall within a specific category. This category was estimated 

at 1 percent by the American Water Works Association (1992). 

Estimates of the use or deliveries of public-supply water for 

each county in Florida are presented in table 5.

The statewide public-supply gross per capita water use 

for Florida was 158 gal/d in 2005 (table 5). This value is 

the total public-supply water withdrawals (2,541 Mgal/d) 

divided by the total population served by public supply 

(16.13 million). Per capita water use computed in this manner 

includes water delivered for all uses of public-supply water, 

as shown in table 5 (domestic, commercial, industrial, public 

use and other uses). Florida’s average domestic per capita 

water use for 2005 was estimated at 95 gal/d in 2005 (table 5). 

This per capita use is calculated by dividing the deliveries to 

domestic use (1,534 Mgal/d) from public suppliers (table 5) 

divided by the population served (16.13 million), and excludes 

all other uses of public-supply water (commercial, industrial, 

public use, or other uses). It is estimated that between 25 and 

75 percent of the water delivered for domestic use of publicsupply water in Florida is for outdoor purposes (primary for 

lawn watering) during certain times of the year.

Both the public-supply gross per capita water use and 

the domestic per capita water use have shown a decline since 

1980 (fig. 11). This trend can be attributed to the effects of 

water conservation and restrictions imposed during this period, 

as well as the use of reclaimed wastewater for lawn irrigation in conjunction with other “Florida-friendly landscape” 

techniques (http://www.Floridayards.org). The statewide 

public-supply gross per capita water use of 158 gal/d for 

Florida was lower than the 2005 national average of 172 gal/d 

and the domestic per capita water use of 95 gal/d for Florida 

was slightly lower than the 2005 national average of 99 gal/d 

(Kenny and others, 2009). The national average is heavily 

influenced by the arid western states.

Figure 11. Historical public-supply gross and domestic per 

capita water use in Florida, 1950-2005. Domestic per capita data 

was not available prior to 1985. Modified from Marella (2004).

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

100

90

60 65 70

YEAR

1950 55 75 80 85 90 95 2000 2005

PUBLIC SUPPLY GROSS

PER CAPITA WATER USE

DOMESTIC PER CAPITA

WATER USE

PER CAPITA WATER USE, IN GALLONS PER DAY

INDUSTRIAL

3.5 percent

PUBLIC

USE

15 percent

COMMERCIAL

20 percent

OTHER USES

1 percent

DOMESTIC

60.5 percent
16 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Table 5. Estimated public-supply water use (deliveries), and per capita use in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey; Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee]

County Population 

served

Public-supply water use (deliveries), in million gallons per day

Total

Per capita use, in gallons 

per day

Domestic 

(residential) Commercial Industrial Other uses Public uses and losses

Public supply 

gross

Domestic 

(residential)

Alachua 181,415 14.39 8.26 0.67 0.27 3.84 27.43 151 79

Baker 4,162 0.30 0.41 0.03 0.00 0.12 0.86 207 72

Bay 146,185 16.16 5.12 18.76 0.47 6.60 47.11 322 111

Bradford 8,900 0.99 0.42 0.02 0.02 0.24 1.69 190 111

Brevard 512,525 33.86 13.18 2.77 0.59 8.21 58.61 114 66

Broward 1,736,450 169.34 49.14 5.55 2.64 36.90 263.57 152 98

Calhoun 4,282 0.35 0.17 0.02 0.00 0.09 0.63 147 82

Charlotte 120,907 9.66 2.70 0.25 0.15 2.08 14.84 123 80

Citrus 90,298 11.12 1.98 0.19 0.16 2.19 15.64 173 123

Clay 128,106 8.75 2.81 0.31 0.14 1.95 13.96 109 68

Collier 272,630 46.82 9.25 1.03 0.67 9.40 67.17 246 172

Columbia 22,780 1.41 1.37 0.26 0.04 0.50 3.58 157 62

DeSoto 10,121 0.64 0.34 0.06 0.00 0.17 1.21 120 63

Dixie 4,745 0.48 0.20 0.08 0.00 0.12 0.88 185 101

Duval 812,508 83.08 28.44 5.71 1.38 19.31 137.92 170 102

Escambia 289,300 24.68 8.92 0.79 0.40 5.66 40.45 140 85

Flagler 74,392 6.14 1.09 0.35 0.09 1.25 8.92 120 83

Franklin 10,212 1.49 0.32 0.02 0.00 0.30 2.13 209 146

Gadsden 30,970 2.48 0.81 0.14 0.04 0.57 4.04 130 80

Gilchrist 1,642 0.09 0.08 0.02 0.00 0.03 0.22 134 55

Glades 5,650 0.69 0.16 0.02 0.00 0.14 1.01 179 122

Gulf 15,224 1.33 0.20 0.04 0.00 0.25 1.82 120 87

Hamilton 6,000 0.49 0.31 0.01 0.00 0.13 0.94 157 82

Hardee 11,180 0.91 0.33 0.04 0.00 0.21 1.49 133 81

Hendry 25,510 2.25 0.48 2.56 0.06 0.87 6.22 244 88

Hernando 136,257 16.61 2.40 0.14 0.23 3.15 22.53 165 122

Highlands 83,886 5.74 1.64 0.15 0.09 1.24 8.86 106 68

Hillsborough 1,116,511 76.10 38.29 6.05 1.42 19.84 141.70 127 68

Holmes 6,000 0.71 0.29 0.03 0.00 0.17 1.20 200 118

Indian River 111,132 10.81 3.03 0.40 0.17 2.35 16.76 151 97

Jackson 17,140 1.00 0.85 0.14 0.02 0.33 2.34 137 58

Jefferson 5,110 0.47 0.18 0.02 0.00 0.11 0.78 153 92

Lafayette 1,275 0.08 0.08 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.20 157 63

Lake 209,527 28.80 4.83 0.82 0.41 5.68 40.54 193 137

Lee 462,635 39.17 13.81 1.87 0.65 9.03 64.53 139 85

Leon 228,275 17.91 10.12 0.50 0.34 4.70 33.57 147 78

Levy 12,494 0.94 0.46 0.12 0.02 0.25 1.79 143 75

Liberty 3,055 0.24 0.07 0.04 0.00 0.06 0.41 134 79

Madison 7,750 0.75 0.39 0.09 0.01 0.20 1.44 186 97

Manatee 302,666 27.98 5.57 2.24 0.42 5.89 42.10 139 92

Marion 161,887 15.86 5.77 1.47 0.27 3.80 27.17 168 98

Martin 116,150 11.96 3.90 0.55 0.19 2.70 19.30 166 103

Miami-Dade 2,392,900 249.82 71.26 7.72 3.82 49.70 382.32 160 104

Monroe 82,413 11.12 3.79 0.12 0.18 2.48 17.69 215 135

Nassau 27,085 3.83 1.59 0.10 0.07 0.91 6.50 240 141

Okaloosa 181,327 12.09 5.98 0.69 0.22 3.09 22.07 122 67

Okeechobee 22,700 1.13 0.61 0.05 0.00 0.25 2.04 90 50

Orange 942,038 95.08 53.22 5.21 1.78 23.22 178.51 189 101

Osceola 185,770 20.55 5.71 0.45 0.31 4.40 31.42 169 111

Palm Beach 1,145,575 167.02 39.32 3.34 2.46 34.53 246.67 215 146

Pasco 360,521 29.54 6.03 0.76 0.43 5.98 42.74 119 82

Pinellas 933,825 55.96 28.65 5.38 1.06 14.82 105.87 113 60

Polk 529,058 49.53 12.75 1.64 0.75 10.53 75.20 142 94

Putnam 11,456 1.36 0.98 0.19 0.03 0.42 2.98 260 119

St. Johns 132,848 7.44 4.26 0.49 0.14 2.01 14.34 108 56

St. Lucie 193,580 16.33 4.15 0.64 0.25 3.48 24.85 128 84

Santa Rosa 129,115 11.52 1.79 0.20 0.16 2.23 15.90 123 89

Sarasota 356,657 18.39 10.43 1.62 0.36 5.01 35.81 100 52

Seminole 381,405 35.66 10.47 1.59 0.56 7.86 56.14 147 93

Sumter 57,234 7.66 0.84 0.28 0.10 1.45 10.33 180 134

Suwannee 9,591 0.73 0.49 0.05 0.01 0.21 1.49 155 76

Taylor 11,690 1.16 0.44 0.12 0.02 0.28 2.02 173 99

Union 1,924 0.11 0.13 0.03 0.00 0.02 0.29 151 57

Volusia 460,694 36.60 11.65 1.51 0.59 8.20 58.55 127 79

Wakulla 11,250 1.26 0.31 0.04 0.02 0.27 1.90 169 112

Walton 51,525 6.31 1.15 0.12 0.09 1.25 8.92 173 122

Washington 8,225 0.43 0.34 0.12 0.00 0.15 1.04 126 52

State totals: 16,128,250 1,533.66 504.51 86.80 24.77 (1)390.78 2,540.52 158 95

(1) Includes 45.75 million gallons per day of other losses (in transfers or desalination) not assigned to any one county.
 Water Withdrawals and Use 17

The largest water withdrawals for public supply were 

in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, and 

Orange Counties, as each withdrew more than 200 Mgal/d 

in 2005 (table 4). Miami-Dade County, Water and Sewer 

Department (http://www.miamidade.gov/wasd/) is the single 

largest water supplier in the State, followed by Tampa Bay 

Water (http://tampabaywater.org/) and Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) Water and Sewer (http://www.jea.

com/). During 2005, Miami-Dade County, Water and Sewer 

Department withdrew 346 Mgal/d of water (Krista Guerrero, SFWMD, written commun., 2007) and served slightly 

more than 2.0 million people, followed by Tampa Bay 

Water (168 Mgal/d) and Jacksonville Electric Authority 

(130 Mgal/d). Miami-Dade Water and Sewer obtained all of 

its water from the Biscayne aquifer through several large and 

small well fields within the county. In 2005, Tampa Bay Water 

obtained 75 percent of its water from multiple well fields that 

tap the Floridan aquifer system in Hillsborough, Pasco, and 

Pinellas Counties and 25 percent of its water from surface 

sources in Hillsborough County (Warren Hogg, Tampa Bay 

Water, written commun., 2009). A small amount of water 

withdrawn by Tampa Bay Water in 2005 (less than 1 Mgal/d) 

was obtained from saline surface-water desalination. All of the 

water withdrawn by Tampa Bay Water is transferred to their 

six Member Government utilities within Hillsborough, Pasco, 

and Pinellas Counties as Tampa Bay Water moves water from 

withdrawal source to suppliers (table 4). JEA obtained all 

of its water from wells that tap the Floridan aquifer system 

in Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns Counties (Bruce Florence, 

SJRWMD, written commun., 2007). The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) in Monroe County obtained all of its 

water (18 Mgal/d) in 2005 (Krista Guerrero, SFWMD, written 

commun. 2007) from a well field located in southern MiamiDade County for public-supply use throughout the Florida Keys.

Water withdrawals for public supply in Florida have 

increased steadily since water-use data were first collected 

(fig. 12). Total public-supply withdrawals increased 80 percent 

in the 25 years between 1980 and 2005 and 4 percent in the 

5 years between 2000 and 2005. During these same time 

periods, the population of Florida increased 8.17 million 

(84 percent) between 1980 and 2005 (U.S. Census Bureau, 

2006a), and 1.94 million (12 percent) between 2000 and 

2005. In addition to the increase in the State’s population, the 

percentage of the population that relies on public supply for 

drinking water increased. In 1980, about 80 percent of the 

State’s population was served by a public supplier (Marella, 

1993); this percentage increased to 88 percent in 2000 

(Marella, 2004), and to 90 percent in 2005. Public-supply 

withdrawals increased 1,134 Mgal/d (81 percent) between 

1980 and 2005, and 104 Mgal/d (4 percent) between 2000 

and 2005. Public-supply withdrawals for 2000 (2,437 Mgal/d) 

were higher than normal, as dry conditions in the spring and 

summer caused higher demands for outdoor uses through 

these seasons. Deliveries of public-supply water to commercial and industrial users increased from 207 Mgal/d (Leach, 

1983) in 1980, to 557 Mgal/d in 2000 (Marella, 2004), 

to 591 Mgal/d in 2005.

The use of highly mineralized water (referred to as nonpotable or brackish water) for public supply has increased steadily 

in Florida since 1985 (Dykes and Conlon, 1989; Marella, 

1988). In 2005, nearly 142 Mgal/d (table 4) of nonpotable 

groundwater was treated using demineralization or desalination 

techniques (mostly desalination) or was diluted with freshwater 

to meet FDEP drinking-water standards for potable water (see 

Glossary). The use of desalination or dilution of nonpotable 

groundwater for public supply was documented in 11 counties 

(Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Indian River, Lee, 

Martin, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, and Sarasota) 

(table 4). Values reported as nonpotable in this report are the 

amount of water withdrawals for the removal of salt through 

a desalination process (reverse osmosis, electro-dialysis and 

other membrane treatment methods) or dilution. Nonpotable 

water withdrawals presented in this report are accounted for as 

freshwater. Additionally, water withdrawals for public supply 

are often treated to reduce hardness or remove particulates 

and other compounds using various methods, such as limesoftening, nanofiltration, or other processes. These amounts are 

not differentiated in the totals for public supply nor are they 

included in the nonpotable treated totals. The use of nonpotable groundwater has increased by 50 percent since 2000, and 

future use will include the treatment of saline surface water 

(Tampa Bay Water, 2008). 

Figure 12. Historical public-supply freshwater 

withdrawals in Florida by source, 1950-2005. Modified 

from Marella (2004).

75

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

0

60 65 70

YEAR

1950 55 80 85 90 95 2000 2005

PUBLIC-SUPPLY

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLIION GALLONS PER DAY

SURFACE WATER

GROUNDWATER

TOTAL
18 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Figure 14. Historical domestic self-supplied freshwater 

withdrawals in Florida, 1950-2005. Modified from Marella (2004).

Figure 13. Domestic self-supplied groundwater withdrawals 

in Florida by principal aquifer, 2005.

Domestic Self-Supplied

The domestic self-supplied category is made up of users 

that withdraw small quantities of potable water for drinkingwater purposes without the need for a permit from the WMDs. 

Domestic self-supplied use includes water withdrawals by 

individual domestic or private wells that serve a household 

(in some cases, multiple households) and by the 703 small 

public-supply systems (with a daily average pumpage of 

less than 0.01 Mgal/d) not inventoried under public supply. 

For this report, it was assumed that all people not served by 

the 1,200 inventoried public suppliers are self-supplied. Of 

the 190 Mgal/d withdrawn for domestic self-supplied use 

in 2005 (table 6), an estimated 97 percent (184 Mgal/d) was 

from domestic wells (sometimes referred to as private wells) 

and 4 percent (6 Mgal/d) was from the 703 small public-supply 

systems that were not inventoried. Withdrawals of more than 

10 Mgal/d for domestic self-supplied use in 2005 occurred in 

Marion, Palm Beach, Orange, and Putnam Counties (table 6). 

It is assumed that water withdrawals for this category were 

derived exclusively from groundwater because of its good 

quality and its widespread availability across the State. About 

63 percent of the domestic self-supplied water was obtained 

from the Floridan aquifer system (fig. 13); the remaining 

37 percent was obtained from more shallow sources of the 

surficial aquifer system, the Biscayne aquifer, the intermediate aquifer, and the sand-and-gravel aquifer. In many areas of 

Florida, these shallow aquifers yield sufficient water for domestic purposes, especially in areas where the Floridan aquifer 

system is relatively deep or has poor water quality. An estimated 

1.08 million people obtain their well water from the Floridan 

aquifer system, and the remaining 0.71 million obtained their 

well water from the local shallow aquifers. 

In 2005, an estimated 1.79 million people in Florida were 

self-supplied (table 6). Very little data exist across the State on 

the number of domestic wells in use during 2005 even though 

the Florida Department of Health, County Health Departments 

and the WMDs manage programs on the completion and 

abandonment of domestic wells. According to the U.S. Census 

Bureau (1993), 795,560 households in Florida used an individual well as their primary source of drinking water in 1990; 

however, the census did not compile these data for 2000 or 

2005. Because the population served by public supply is growing at a steady rate, it can be assumed that most new households 

are connected to public supply, and that many homes that had 

domestic wells have connected to public-supply water systems 

during the past 15 years. Large areas of residential development, 

however, still rely on private wells for drinking water and many 

of these areas continue to grow. Based on a modest statewide 

growth rate of 2 percent annually between 2000 and 2005, the 

number of households with wells is estimated to have increased 

from 982,500 in 2000 (Marella, 2004) to 1,080,800 in 2005. 

Estimated water used per well would be about 170 gal/d in 2005 

(184 Mgal/d divided by 1,080,800). Many additional households in Florida have private wells for lawn irrigation purposes 

only, and these withdrawals are not included in this category. 

The population that relies on domestic wells has not 

changed much between 1980 and 2005, remaining at or just 

below 2 million during this period. Withdrawals for domestic self-supplied use in Florida ranged from slightly below 

300 Mgal/d to slightly below 250 Mgal/d between 1980 and 

2000 (fig. 14). Between the period of 1980 and 2005, two different methods were used to calculate domestic self-supplied withdrawals. In 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1995, the self-supplied population in each county was multiplied by the public-supply gross 

per capita water use (which ranged between 120 to 250 gal/d) 

for each county to estimate water withdrawals. For 2000 and 

2005, the statewide domestic per capita water use was multiplied by the self-supplied population for all counties excluding 

those within SJRWMD and SWFWMD (these two districts used 

the public-supply gross per capita value in 2005). The domestic 

per capita water use in 2000 (106 gal/d) and 2005 (95 gal/d) 

was derived from public-supply withdrawals minus deliveries 

BISCAYNE AQUIFER

2 percent INTERMEDIATE AQUIFER

8 percent

SAND-AND-GRAVEL

AQUIFER

1 percent

FLORIDAN

AQUIFER

SYSTEM

63 percent

UNNAMED

SURFICIAL

AQUIFERS

26 percent 50

100

150

200

250

300

350

0

1950 55 60 65 70 80 85 90 2000*

YEAR

95

TOTAL

2005

GROUNDWATER

75

DOMESTIC SELF-SUPPLIED

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

* Methodology used for 2000 to estimate withdrawals was modified from

previous years
 Water Withdrawals and Use 19

Table 6. Domestic self-supplied population and water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; withdrawals in million gallons per day]

County Population Water withdrawals

Total Public supply Self-supplied Ground Surface Total

Alachua 240,764 181,415 59,349 5.69 0.00 5.69

Baker 23,953 4,162 19,791 3.53 0.00 3.53

Bay 161,721 146,185 15,536 1.48 0.00 1.48

Bradford 28,118 8,900 19,218 2.62 0.00 2.62

Brevard 531,970 512,525 19,445 1.01 0.00 1.01

Broward 1,740,987 1,736,450 4,537 0.43 0.00 0.43

Calhoun 13,945 4,282 9,663 0.92 0.00 0.92

Charlotte 154,030 120,907 33,123 3.09 0.00 3.09

Citrus 132,635 90,298 42,337 6.89 0.00 6.89

Clay 169,623 128,106 41,517 3.57 0.00 3.57

Collier 317,788 272,630 45,158 4.30 0.00 4.30

Columbia 61,466 22,780 38,686 3.69 0.00 3.69

DeSoto 32,606 10,121 22,485 2.09 0.00 2.09

Dixie 15,377 4,745 10,632 1.01 0.00 1.01

Duval 861,150 812,508 48,642 7.54 0.00 7.54

Escambia 303,623 289,300 14,323 1.36 0.00 1.36

Flagler 78,617 74,392 4,225 0.29 0.00 0.29

Franklin 10,845 10,212 633 0.06 0.00 0.06

Gadsden 47,713 30,970 16,743 1.60 0.00 1.60

Gilchrist 16,221 1,642 14,579 1.39 0.00 1.39

Glades 10,729 5,650 5,079 0.48 0.00 0.48

Gulf 16,479 15,224 1,255 0.12 0.00 0.12

Hamilton 14,315 6,000 8,315 0.79 0.00 0.79

Hardee 27,333 11,180 16,153 1.60 0.00 1.60

Hendry 38,376 25,510 12,866 1.23 0.00 1.23

Hernando 150,784 136,257 14,527 2.38 0.00 2.38

Highlands 93,456 83,886 9,570 0.79 0.00 0.79

Hillsborough 1,131,546 1,116,511 15,035 1.18 0.00 1.18

Holmes 19,157 6,000 13,157 1.25 0.00 1.25

Indian River 130,043 111,132 18,911 1.68 0.00 1.68

Jackson 49,691 17,140 32,551 3.10 0.00 3.10

Jefferson 14,233 5,110 9,123 0.87 0.00 0.87

Lafayette 7,971 1,275 6,696 0.64 0.00 0.64

Lake 263,017 209,527 53,490 6.49 0.00 6.49

Lee 549,442 462,635 86,807 8.27 0.00 8.27

Leon 271,111 228,275 42,836 4.08 0.00 4.08

Levy 37,985 12,494 25,491 2.85 0.00 2.85

Liberty 7,581 3,055 4,526 0.43 0.00 0.43

Madison 19,696 7,750 11,946 1.14 0.00 1.14

Manatee 304,364 302,666 1,698 0.16 0.00 0.16

Marion 304,926 161,887 143,039 15.34 0.00 15.34

Martin 141,059 116,150 24,909 2.37 0.00 2.37

Miami-Dade 2,422,075 2,392,900 29,175 2.78 0.00 2.78

Monroe 82,413 82,413 0 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nassau 65,759 27,085 38,674 8.20 0.00 8.20

Okaloosa 188,939 181,327 7,612 0.73 0.00 0.73

Okeechobee 37,765 22,700 15,065 1.44 0.00 1.44

Orange 1,043,437 942,038 101,399 10.55 0.00 10.55

Osceola 235,156 185,770 49,386 4.72 0.00 4.72

Palm Beach 1,265,900 1,145,575 120,325 11.47 0.00 11.47

Pasco 406,898 360,521 46,377 4.75 0.00 4.75

Pinellas 947,744 933,825 13,919 1.09 0.00 1.09

Polk 541,840 529,058 12,782 1.22 0.00 1.22

Putnam 73,764 11,456 62,308 10.34 0.00 10.34

St. Johns 157,278 132,848 24,430 2.05 0.00 2.05

St. Lucie 240,039 193,580 46,459 4.43 0.00 4.43

Santa Rosa 136,443 129,115 7,328 0.44 0.00 0.44

Sarasota 367,867 356,657 11,210 0.81 0.00 0.81

Seminole 411,744 381,405 30,339 2.70 0.00 2.70

Sumter 74,052 57,234 16,818 2.12 0.00 2.12

Suwannee 38,174 9,591 28,583 2.72 0.00 2.72

Taylor 21,310 11,690 9,620 0.92 0.00 0.92

Union 15,046 1,924 13,122 1.25 0.00 1.25

Volusia 494,649 460,694 33,955 2.75 0.00 2.75

Wakulla 26,867 11,250 15,617 1.49 0.00 1.49

Walton 53,525 51,525 2,000 0.19 0.00 0.19

Washington 23,097 8,225 14,872 1.42 0.00 1.42

State totals: 17,918,227 16,128,250 1,789,957 190.38 0.00 190.38

 
20 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Figure 15. Commercial-industrial self-supplied groundwater 

withdrawals in Florida by principal aquifer, 2005.

Figure 16. Average daily commercial-industrial self-supplied 

freshwater withdrawals by month in Florida, 2005.

to commercial, industrial, public use, and other users (data 

for 2005 is shown in table 5). The methodology was changed 

because the public-supply gross per capita accounted for 

commercial, industrial, and public use (including losses) and 

other uses (table 5), thus tending to overestimate the water 

withdrawals for this category. The domestic per capita water 

use includes only what is used for households (including 

both indoor and outdoor uses) and, therefore, provides a better 

estimate of water withdrawals for this category.

Commercial-Industrial Self-Supplied

Commercial-industrial self-supplied use refers to water 

withdrawn directly from commercial and industrial facilities. 

Commercial users include government and military facilities, 

schools, prisons, hospitals, recreational (nonirrigation), and 

nonmanufacturing facilities. Industrial users include mining, 

processing, and manufacturing facilities. Data were obtained for 

those systems having withdrawals of more than 0.01 Mgal/d; 

water used by the smaller commercial-industrial (noncommunity and nontransient noncommunity) water systems is insignificant and, therefore, is not accounted for in this report. A total 

of 206 self-supplied commercial users and 205 self-supplied 

industrial users were inventoried in Florida in 2005.

Freshwater withdrawals by the 411 commercial-industrial 

self-supplied systems in 2005 totaled 488 Mgal/d (table 7). 

Groundwater supplied 366 Mgal/d (75 percent) and surface 

water supplied more than 122 Mgal/d (25 percent) of freshwater 

withdrawals in 2005 (table 7). In addition, another 591 Mgal/d 

was delivered to commercial (504 Mgal/d) and industrial 

(87 Mgal/d) users from public-supply water systems in 2005 

(table 5). The Floridan aquifer system supplied 78 percent of 

groundwater withdrawals for this category (fig. 15). Major 

surface-water sources for commercial-industrial self-supplied use 

include Etonia and Simms Creeks in Putnam County (20 percent) 

and the Escambia River in Escambia County (19.5 percent). 

However, a large amount of surface-water withdrawals used 

for this category came from unnamed mining pits or ponds for 

dewatering and mining operations. A small amount (1 Mgal/d) 

of saline surface water was withdrawn from Nassau County for 

industrial cooling purposes in 2005 (table 7). The largest amount 

of freshwater withdrawals for commercial-industrial self-supplied 

purposes was from Polk County, followed by Escambia, Taylor, 

Miami-Dade, and Nassau Counties (table 7). These five counties accounted for more than one-half (52 percent) of the water 

withdrawals in this category during 2005.

Monthly withdrawals for commercial-industrial 

self-supplied fluctuated less than 100 Mgal/d during 2005 

(fig. 16). Withdrawals were highest in July, October, and 

December and were lowest in November. Fluctuations in withdrawals occur because of increased water demand when citrus 

and vegetables are harvested and processed, whereas withdrawals for mining and pulp and paper manufacturing usually 

remain fairly steady throughout the year.

Mining accounted for the largest amount of water used in 

this category (40 percent) followed by pulp and paper manufacturing (28 percent) (fig. 17). Water withdrawals from the 

Figure 17. Commercial-industrial self-supplied freshwater 

use in Florida by major industrial type, 2005.

BISCAYNE

AQUIFER

8 percent

SAND-AND-GRAVEL

AQUIFER

10 percent

FLORIDAN AQUIFER

SYSTEM

78 percent

SURFICIAL

AQUIFER

SYSTEM

4 percent

Note: Intermediate aquifer

equaled less than 1 percent

MINING

40 percent

CHEMICAL

MANUFACTURING

13 percent

PULP AND

PAPER

28 percent

FOOD

PRODUCTION

AND

MANUFACTURING

5 percent

MISCELLANEOUS

MANUFACTURING

4 percent

COMMERCIAL

10 percent

J F M A M J J A S O N D

600

2005

450

500

550

400

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

AVERAGE DAILY

WITHDRAWAL,

488 MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY
 Water Withdrawals and Use 21

Table 7. Commercial-industrial self-supplied (includes mining) water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day]

County

Groundwater Surface water Total water

Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total

Alachua 0.67 0.00 0.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.67 0.00 0.67

Baker 0.60 0.00 0.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60 0.00 0.60

Bay 0.51 0.00 0.51 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.51 0.00 0.51

Bradford 2.07 0.00 2.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.07 0.00 2.07

Brevard 3.67 0.00 3.67 0.91 0.00 0.91 4.58 0.00 4.58

Broward 0.25 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.25

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Charlotte 0.13 0.00 0.13 1.46 0.00 1.46 1.59 0.00 1.59

Citrus 0.90 0.00 0.90 0.12 0.00 0.12 1.02 0.00 1.02

Clay 2.73 0.00 2.73 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.73 0.00 2.73

Collier 0.22 0.00 0.22 4.58 0.00 4.58 4.80 0.00 4.80

Columbia 0.23 0.00 0.23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.23 0.00 0.23

DeSoto 0.13 0.00 0.13 0.06 0.00 0.06 0.19 0.00 0.19

Dixie 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Duval 15.49 0.00 15.49 2.77 0.00 2.77 18.26 0.00 18.26

Escambia 32.20 0.00 32.20 23.97 0.00 23.97 56.17 0.00 56.17

Flagler 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.01

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Gadsden 0.78 0.00 0.78 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.78 0.00 0.78

Gilchrist 0.40 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.40

Glades 0.19 0.00 0.19 9.02 0.00 9.02 9.21 0.00 9.21

Gulf 0.70 0.00 0.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.70 0.00 0.70

Hamilton 33.79 0.00 33.79 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.79 0.00 33.79

Hardee 2.10 0.00 2.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.10 0.00 2.10

Hendry 0.70 0.00 0.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.70 0.00 0.70

Hernando 17.31 0.00 17.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 17.31 0.00 17.31

Highlands 0.37 0.00 0.37 0.28 0.00 0.28 0.65 0.00 0.65

Hillsborough 8.76 0.00 8.76 6.45 0.00 6.45 15.21 0.00 15.21

Holmes 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Indian River 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jackson 1.40 0.00 1.40 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.40 0.00 1.40

Jefferson 0.26 0.00 0.26 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.26 0.00 0.26

Lafayette 0.32 0.00 0.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.32 0.00 0.32

Lake 9.54 0.00 9.54 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.54 0.00 9.54

Lee 4.36 0.00 4.36 16.61 0.00 16.61 20.97 0.00 20.97

Leon 0.03 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.03

Levy 0.08 0.00 0.08 2.41 0.00 2.41 2.49 0.00 2.49

Liberty 0.25 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.25

Madison 0.07 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.07

Manatee 4.24 0.00 4.24 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.24 0.00 4.24

Marion 2.82 0.00 2.82 0.15 0.00 0.15 2.97 0.00 2.97

Martin 0.20 0.00 0.20 2.64 0.00 2.64 2.84 0.00 2.84

Miami-Dade 29.01 0.00 29.01 11.07 0.00 11.07 40.08 0.00 40.08

Monroe 0.04 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.04

Nassau 36.17 0.00 36.17 0.13 1.19 1.32 36.30 1.19 37.49

Okaloosa 3.08 0.00 3.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.08 0.00 3.08

Okeechobee 0.43 0.00 0.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.43 0.00 0.43

Orange 21.96 0.00 21.96 1.03 0.00 1.03 22.99 0.00 22.99

Osceola 0.36 0.00 0.36 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.36 0.00 0.36

Palm Beach 1.71 0.00 1.71 4.65 0.00 4.65 6.36 0.00 6.36

Pasco 1.39 0.00 1.39 0.70 0.00 0.70 2.09 0.00 2.09

Pinellas 0.04 0.00 0.04 0.11 0.00 0.11 0.15 0.00 0.15

Polk 61.17 0.00 61.17 0.95 0.00 0.95 62.12 0.00 62.12

Putnam 3.49 0.00 3.49 25.09 0.00 25.09 28.58 0.00 28.58

St. Johns 0.63 0.00 0.63 0.30 0.00 0.30 0.93 0.00 0.93

St. Lucie 7.22 0.00 7.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.22 0.00 7.22

Santa Rosa 3.05 0.00 3.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.05 0.00 3.05

Sarasota 0.11 0.00 0.11 0.97 0.00 0.97 1.08 0.00 1.08

Seminole 0.39 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.39

Sumter 0.19 0.00 0.19 3.89 0.00 3.89 4.08 0.00 4.08

Suwannee 1.58 0.00 1.58 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.58 0.00 1.58

Taylor 42.61 0.00 42.61 2.45 0.00 2.45 45.06 0.00 45.06

Union 0.40 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.40

Volusia 0.72 0.00 0.72 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.72 0.00 0.72

Wakulla 0.93 0.00 0.93 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.93 0.00 0.93

Walton 0.12 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.12

Washington 0.28 0.00 0.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.28 0.00 0.28

State totals: 365.56 0.00 365.56 122.77 1.19 123.96 488.33 1.19 489.52

 
22 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

70 inventoried mining facilities totaled 194 Mgal/d, of which 

60 percent (117 Mgal/d) was for mining limestone and sand, 

36 percent (69 Mgal/d) for phosphate mining, and 4 percent 

(8 Mgal/d) for mineral and other mining. Mining operations 

are located throughout Florida, but are mostly concentrated in 

the central and extreme southeastern and southwestern parts 

of the State. Water withdrawals from the mining industry 

are used primarily for material washing and conveyance, but 

includes water pumped to dewater the area being mined. The 

pulp and paper industry is located in northern and western 

Florida where the State is heavily forested. Food production 

accounted for 27 Mgal/d (5 percent) in 2005, of which about 4 

Mgal/d was withdrawn for water-bottling purposes. Many of 

the water-bottling facilities in Florida obtain their water from 

a public-water supply system. Water withdrawals from the 

206 self-supplied commercial users, such as hospitals, prisons, 

schools, and theme parks accounted for 51 Mgal/d (10 percent) 

of the withdrawals in this category (fig. 17). Most of these 

self-supplied commercial users are considered noncommunity 

public-supply water system, because they serve a transient, not 

a permanent, population (Florida Department of Environmental 

Regulation, 1990). 

By 2005, freshwater withdrawals for commercial-industrial 

self-supplied use in Florida decreased 37 percent from 

1990 and 18 percent from 2000 (fig. 18). Between 1990 and 

2000, manufacturing employment decreased statewide from 

520,000 to 486,000 people (Kathie Hughes, Florida Agency for 

Workforce Innovation, Labor Market Statistics Center, written 

commun., 2008) using the Standard Industrial Classification 

System data. Between 2001 and 2005, manufacturing employment decreased another 30,000 people based on data from 

the North American Industrial Classification System (Kathie 

Hughes, Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, Labor 

Market Statistics Center, written commun., 2008). Several large 

chemical plants, pulp mills, and other manufacturing facilities 

in Florida have closed over the past 15 years. This trend of 

decreasing manufacturing employment is expected to continue 

in Florida. However, deliveries from public supply to commercial and industrial users increased by 126 Mgal/d (27 percent) 

between 1990 and 2005 and by 33 Mgal/d (6 percent) between 

2000 and 2005. The increase in deliveries and the decrease 

in self-supplied withdrawals is a result of new commercial 

or industrial users obtaining their water from a public-supply 

water system and some self-supplied users connecting to a 

public-supply water system as their water source. The conversion to public supply in many areas occurred because of the 

increasing cost for self-supplied users to produce, treat, and 

discharge their own water. Also, many self-supplied users have 

become more water efficient over the past 15 years.

Agricultural Self-Supplied (Irrigation and 

Nonirrigation)

Agricultural self-supplied use refers to water withdrawals 

for crop irrigation and for nonirrigation uses associated with 

farming operations. Crop irrigation includes the application of 

water on lands to assist in the growing of crops or to prevent 

damage to crops due to harsh climatic conditions. Nonirrigation uses include withdrawals for livestock watering, washing of dairy and farm equipment, fish farming (augmenting 

ponds), and other farm uses. The agricultural self-supplied 

category no longer includes water withdrawals for irrigation 

of turf grasses (golf courses and urban landscape), which is 

included in the category of recreational irrigation.

Agricultural self-supplied was the largest user of freshwater 

in Florida, accounting for 40 percent of the State’s total freshwater withdrawals in 2005. Water withdrawals for agricultural selfsupplied totaled 2,766 Mgal/d (table 8). Surface water supplied 

53 percent (1,465 Mgal/d) and groundwater supplied 47 percent 

(1,301 Mgal/d) (table 8). All water withdrawals for irrigation in 

Florida were assumed to be freshwater. Overall, water used for 

crop irrigation accounted for 99 percent of the water withdrawn 

in this category with the nonirrigation uses (livestock and fish 

farming) accounting for the remaining 1 percent.

The Floridan aquifer system supplied 65 percent of the 

groundwater withdrawn for agricultural self-supplied use 

in 2005 (fig. 19). The remaining 35 percent was obtained 

from more shallow sources, such as the Biscayne aquifer, the 

intermediate aquifer, and the sand-and-gravel aquifer where 

the Floridan aquifer system does not have good water quality. Major sources of surface water for irrigation purposes 

include the canals associated with the Caloosahatchee River, 

the St. Johns River, Lake Okeechobee, and the many unnamed 

canals in Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Martin, Palm Beach 

Figure 18. Historical commercial-industrial self-supplied 

freshwater withdrawals in Florida by source, 1950-2005. 

Modified from Marella (2004).

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,000

0

1950 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 2000

YEAR

2005

COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

TOTAL

GROUNDWATER

SURFACE WATER
 Water Withdrawals and Use 23

Table 8. Agricultural self-supplied water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day]

County

Groundwater Surface water Total water

Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total

Alachua 23.05 0.00 23.05 0.40 0.00 0.40 23.45 0.00 23.45

Baker 1.62 0.00 1.62 0.92 0.00 0.92 2.54 0.00 2.54

Bay 0.90 0.00 0.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.90 0.00 0.90

Bradford 0.99 0.00 0.99 0.03 0.00 0.03 1.02 0.00 1.02

Brevard 45.12 0.00 45.12 3.35 0.00 3.35 48.47 0.00 48.47

Broward 3.21 0.00 3.21 4.45 0.00 4.45 7.66 0.00 7.66

Calhoun 1.45 0.00 1.45 0.43 0.00 0.43 1.88 0.00 1.88

Charlotte 9.97 0.00 9.97 16.22 0.00 16.22 26.19 0.00 26.19

Citrus 1.46 0.00 1.46 0.06 0.00 0.06 1.52 0.00 1.52

Clay 2.32 0.00 2.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.32 0.00 2.32

Collier 88.86 0.00 88.86 3.69 0.00 3.69 92.55 0.00 92.55

Columbia 4.40 0.00 4.40 0.09 0.00 0.09 4.49 0.00 4.49

DeSoto 39.49 0.00 39.49 0.52 0.00 0.52 40.01 0.00 40.01

Dixie 1.83 0.00 1.83 0.03 0.00 0.03 1.86 0.00 1.86

Duval 1.95 0.00 1.95 0.17 0.00 0.17 2.12 0.00 2.12

Escambia 3.30 0.00 3.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.30 0.00 3.30

Flagler 6.11 0.00 6.11 3.19 0.00 3.19 9.30 0.00 9.30

Franklin 0.09 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.09

Gadsden 3.89 0.00 3.89 7.07 0.00 7.07 10.96 0.00 10.96

Gilchrist 12.59 0.00 12.59 0.29 0.00 0.29 12.88 0.00 12.88

Glades 20.56 0.00 20.56 72.78 0.00 72.78 93.34 0.00 93.34

Gulf 0.30 0.00 0.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.30 0.00 0.30

Hamilton 18.97 0.00 18.97 0.37 0.00 0.37 19.34 0.00 19.34

Hardee 26.20 0.00 26.20 0.01 0.00 0.01 26.21 0.00 26.21

Hendry 154.12 0.00 154.12 231.87 0.00 231.87 385.99 0.00 385.99

Hernando 1.98 0.00 1.98 0.02 0.00 0.02 2.00 0.00 2.00

Highlands 94.58 0.00 94.58 10.94 0.00 10.94 105.52 0.00 105.52

Hillsborough 46.73 0.00 46.73 1.66 0.00 1.66 48.39 0.00 48.39

Holmes 0.94 0.00 0.94 0.18 0.00 0.18 1.12 0.00 1.12

Indian River 52.03 0.00 52.03 105.61 0.00 105.61 157.64 0.00 157.64

Jackson 10.03 0.00 10.03 1.02 0.00 1.02 11.05 0.00 11.05

Jefferson 11.09 0.00 11.09 0.19 0.00 0.19 11.28 0.00 11.28

Lafayette 6.86 0.00 6.86 0.15 0.00 0.15 7.01 0.00 7.01

Lake 15.44 0.00 15.44 4.49 0.00 4.49 19.93 0.00 19.93

Lee 26.75 0.00 26.75 6.62 0.00 6.62 33.37 0.00 33.37

Leon 1.35 0.00 1.35 0.02 0.00 0.02 1.37 0.00 1.37

Levy 20.73 0.00 20.73 0.50 0.00 0.50 21.23 0.00 21.23

Liberty 0.14 0.00 0.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.14 0.00 0.14

Madison 11.08 0.00 11.08 0.26 0.00 0.26 11.34 0.00 11.34

Manatee 70.54 0.00 70.54 3.01 0.00 3.01 73.55 0.00 73.55

Marion 6.25 0.00 6.25 0.10 0.00 0.10 6.35 0.00 6.35

Martin 10.79 0.00 10.79 79.33 0.00 79.33 90.12 0.00 90.12

Miami-Dade 46.51 0.00 46.51 11.55 0.00 11.55 58.06 0.00 58.06

Monroe 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.03 0.00 0.03 0.05 0.00 0.05

Nassau 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.02

Okaloosa 0.96 0.00 0.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.96 0.00 0.96

Okeechobee 43.58 0.00 43.58 6.45 0.00 6.45 50.03 0.00 50.03

Orange 23.91 0.00 23.91 5.91 0.00 5.91 29.82 0.00 29.82

Osceola 94.65 0.00 94.65 5.60 0.00 5.60 100.25 0.00 100.25

Palm Beach 46.22 0.00 46.22 746.29 0.00 746.29 792.51 0.00 792.51

Pasco 9.26 0.00 9.26 0.28 0.00 0.28 9.54 0.00 9.54

Pinellas 0.24 0.00 0.24 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.26 0.00 0.26

Polk 63.56 0.00 63.56 4.30 0.00 4.30 67.86 0.00 67.86

Putnam 6.52 0.00 6.52 2.34 0.00 2.34 8.86 0.00 8.86

St. Johns 15.02 0.00 15.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 15.02 0.00 15.02

St. Lucie 31.19 0.00 31.19 116.02 0.00 116.02 147.21 0.00 147.21

Santa Rosa 2.96 0.00 2.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.96 0.00 2.96

Sarasota 3.37 0.00 3.37 0.11 0.00 0.11 3.48 0.00 3.48

Seminole 8.39 0.00 8.39 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.39 0.00 8.39

Sumter 5.45 0.00 5.45 0.88 0.00 0.88 6.33 0.00 6.33

Suwannee 20.29 0.00 20.29 0.44 0.00 0.44 20.73 0.00 20.73

Taylor 1.12 0.00 1.12 0.02 0.00 0.02 1.14 0.00 1.14

Union 1.69 0.00 1.69 0.04 0.00 0.04 1.73 0.00 1.73

Volusia 13.52 0.00 13.52 4.20 0.00 4.20 17.72 0.00 17.72

Wakulla 0.27 0.00 0.27 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.27 0.00 0.27

Walton 1.84 0.00 1.84 0.09 0.00 0.09 1.93 0.00 1.93

Washington 0.95 0.00 0.95 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.95 0.00 0.95

State totals: 1,301.57 0.00 1,301.57 1,464.61 0.00 1,464.61 2,766.18 0.00 2,766.18
24 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

and St. Lucie Counties. South Florida is intensively irrigated 

for sugarcane, citrus, and vegetables, and these six counties 

accounted for 92 percent of the surface-water withdrawals for 

irrigation (table 8).

Monthly withdrawals for agricultural self-supplied use 

had the largest seasonal variation of any water-use category. 

Agricultural self-supplied withdrawals were greatest during 

April and May (accounting for 33 percent of the water used) 

and were lowest during June, July, August, and September for 2005 (fig. 20). A seasonal fluctuation of more than 

4,300 Mgal/d in 2005 resulted from intense crop production 

and normal dry conditions during the spring months, as well as 

a decrease in crop production and the normal rainfall patterns 

during the summer months. This pattern of seasonal withdrawals is normal, but monthly variation is usually greater during 

extreme dry years (Marella, 1997; Verdi and others, 2006). 

A total of 42,500 commercial farms utilized 10 million 

acres of land in 2005 (Florida Department of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services, 2006). An estimated 3.864 million acres 

of this land was used for agricultural crop production during 

2005, with about 1.783 million acres irrigated (46 percent) 

(Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 

2006). Improved pasture accounted for about one-half of the 

agricultural crop acres (48 percent); however, only 6 percent 

of the improved pasture was irrigated in 2005 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2004). Excluding improved pasture 

acreage, an estimated 2.024 million acres were farmed, with 

1.671 million acres (82.5 percent) of the nonpasture acreage irrigated. Most of the 1.783 million acres were irrigated 

by flood systems (43 percent), followed by micro systems 

(38 percent), and sprinkler systems (19 percent) (table 9).

Data for crop irrigation were compiled for the following categories: vegetable, fruit crops, field crops, and ornamentals and grasses (including sod). Acreage totals for many 

of the individual crops were not available for 2005 because 

values were not published on a county level beyond 2002 

(table 9). Fruit crops (including citrus) and field crops (including sugarcane) were the largest users of water for irrigation, 

accounting for 74 percent (37 percent each) of the agricultural 

self-supplied water withdrawals in 2005 (fig. 21 and table 9). 

Specifically, citrus (996 Mgal/d) and sugarcane (875 Mgal/d) 

accounted for more than two-thirds (67.6 percent) of total 

water withdrawals for this category. Estimated citrus acreage 

in 2005 was 0.734 million acres with nearly 94 percent of the 

acres irrigated (table 9); sugarcane acreage was 0.403 million 

acres with nearly 99 percent irrigated. 

Palm Beach, Hendry, St. Lucie, and Indian River 

Counties accounted for more than half (54 percent) of total 

water withdrawals for agricultural self-supplied use (table 8). 

Palm Beach County was the largest user of surface water, 

and Hendry County used the most groundwater. Palm Beach 

County had nearly 0.372 million acres irrigated, of which 

0.297 million acres (80 percent) was sugarcane. Hendry, Polk, 

St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties had the largest amount 

of irrigated citrus acreage and, when combined, accounted for 

43 percent of the State’s irrigated citrus acreage in 2005. 

Figure 19. Agricultural self-supplied groundwater 

withdrawals in Florida by principal aquifer, 2005.

Figure 20. Average daily agricultural self-supplied 

freshwater withdrawals by month in Florida, 2005.

Figure 21. Agricultural self-supplied freshwater use in 

Florida by major crop type, 2005.

BISCAYNE AQUIFER

4 percent

FLORIDAN AQUIFER

SYSTEM

65 percent

SURFICIAL

AQUIFER

SYSTEM

16 percent

Note: Sand-and-gravel aquifer

equaled less than 1 percent

INTERMEDIATE

AQUIFERS

15 percent

FIELD CROPS

37 percent

VEGETABLE CROPS

8 percent

NONIRRIGATION

USES

1 percent

FRUIT CROPS

37 percent

ORNAMENTALS

AND GRASSES

17 percent

6,000

5,000

4,000

1,000

0

3,000

2,000

2005

J F M A M J J A S O N D

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

AGRICULTURAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

AVERAGE DAILY

WITHDRAWAL,

2,766 MILLION

GALLONS

PER DAY
 Water Withdrawals and Use 25

Table 9. Acres irrigated, irrigation system type, and water use by crop type in Florida, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Crop Census), Florida Agricultural Statistics Service, Florida 

Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Northwest Florida WMD, St. Johns River WMD, 

South Florida WMD, Southwest Florida WMD, and Suwannee River WMD. Acreage data not available for most individual crops for 2005, compared to previous years. Values may not be identical to the values reported by the water management districts (WMD) or other agricultural agencies due to differences in data 

collection or crop type or to revisions in reported values. N/A, data not available]

Crop irrigation Crop and acreage Irrigation system type Water use, in million gallons per day Water 

Total Irrigated Micro Sprinkler Flood Ground Surface Reclaimed Total use withdrawn

Cabbage

Carrots

Cucumbers

Peppers

Tomatoes

Sweet corn

Watermelons/cantaloupes

Vegetables nonspecific and non-specific

Vegetable Totals: 246,350 224,641 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 215.80

Blueberries

Citrus 734,351 692,374 N/A N/A N/A 567.72 428.66 N/A 996.38 996.38

Grapes

Peaches

Pecans

Strawberries

Others/Miscellaneous

Fruit crops nonspecific

Fruit Crop Totals: 793,895 750,609 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1,028.85

Cotton

Field corn

Peanuts

Potatoes

Rice

Sorghum

Soybeans

Sugarcane 402,853 398,643 N/A N/A N/A 57.88 816.99 0.00 874.87 874.87

Tobacco

Wheat

Others/Miscellaneous

Field Crop Totals: 749,205 526,115 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1,020.91

Field grown

Greenhouse grown

Container grown

Pasture hay (alfalfa/tame) 1,840,027 112,493 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Sod

Other crops and grasses that

 utilize reclaimed water

Ornamentals/grasses Totals: 2,074,782 281,688 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 473.65

Totals: 3,864,232 1,783,053 681,313 336,625 765,115 1,275.66 1,463.55 94.37 2,833.58 2,739.21

Nonirrigation Water use, in million gallons per day Water 

Ground Surface Reclaimed Total use Withdrawn

Livestock 16.88 0.90 0.00 17.78 17.78

Fish farming 9.03 0.16 0.00 9.19 9.19

Other/Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Totals: 25.91 1.06 0.00 26.97 26.97

Agricultural self-supplied Crop acreage Irrigation system type Water use, in million gallons per day Water 

Total Irrigated Micro Sprinkler Flood Ground Surface Reclaimed Total use Withdrawn

Totals: 3,864,232 1,783,053 681,313 336,625 765,115 1,301.57 1,464.61 94.37 2,860.55 2,766.18
26 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Water withdrawals for agricultural self-supplied use for 

2005 were substantially lower than the previous 25 years 

(fig. 22). During the 1980s, water withdrawals for agricultural irrigation ranged about 2,900 Mgal/d; in the 1990s, 

withdrawals ranged about 3,400 Mgal/d; for 2000, withdrawals peaked around 4,000 Mgal/d before decreasing 

to just under 2,800 Mgal/d in 2005. Overall, withdrawals decreased 8.5 percent between 1980 and 2005, and 

29.5 percent between 2000 and 2005 (fig. 22). 

Several trends in agricultural self-supplied occurred 

during the 25-year period between 1980 and 2005; listed 

below are some of the most prevalent: 

• First, the increase in withdrawals in the 1980s 

and 1990s can be attributed to the development of 

irrigation technology coupled with the availability 

of freshwater for irrigation, Florida’s subtropical 

climate and mild winters that allow early spring crop 

production and the potential to harvest multiple crops 

per year, and the State’s close proximity to east coast 

markets and capability to ship perishable products in 

a timely fashion (Marella, 1997). 

• Second, higher than usual withdrawals for 2000 were 

the result of extreme climatic conditions that 

occurred throughout that year, as the State experienced severe dry conditions (Verdi and others, 2006) 

that caused higher than normal irrigation demands. 

Annual average rainfall statewide for 2000 was 

just over 43 in. compared to nearly 63 in. for 2005 

(U.S. Department of Commerce, 2008).

• Third, a sharp decline in withdrawals for 2005 is 

a result of losses of irrigated acreage between 

2000 and 2005 for selected crops, water restrictions 

imposed during 2000 that have been left in tact, more 

normal rainfall for 2005, and better management and 

conservation practices.

• Fourth, a change in how agricultural self-supplied 

values were estimated between previous years and 

2005. The AFSIRS model was used in all WMDs for 

2005, compared to the use of other models in different WMDs for prior years. The differences in models 

can be significant for selected crops during extreme 

dry or wet years. 

Total irrigated acreage in Florida decreased slightly 

for 2005 from previous years. During 1980 and 2000, 

irrigated acreage remained fairly consistent between a high 

of 2.041 million acres in 1980 and a low of 1.836 million 

acres in 1985, primarily from losses due to freezes between 

these years. For 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000, irrigated acreage averaged 1.950 million acres. Between 2000 

and 2005, irrigated acreage decreased 4 percent, from 

1.866 million acres in 2000 (Marella, 2004) to 1.783 million 

acres in 2005. 

Acreage of Florida’s two largest irrigated crops 

decreased between 2000 and 2005; citrus lost 0.132 million 

acres and sugarcane lost 0.006 million acres (fig. 23). Since 

2000, citrus lost a substantial amount of acreage to hurricanes, 

disease (citrus canker), and encroaching urbanization (White 

and van Blokland, 2006). Harvested sugarcane acreage has 

remained at about 0.400 million acres since 1994 (Florida 

Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2006), but 

has decreased since a peak in 2001 (fig. 23). Vegetable acreage 

(including berries, potatoes, and watermelons) has decreased 

from 0.300 million acres during the 1980s and 1990s to 

Figure 22. Historical agricultural self-supplied freshwater 

withdrawals in Florida by source, 1950-2005. Modified from 

Marella (2004).

Figure 23. Historical agricultural acreage in Florida 

for selected crops, 1970-2006. From Florida Agricultural 

Statistic Service (2007), Florida Department of Agriculture 

and Consumer Services (2006), and Marella (2004).

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

0

1950 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 2000 2005

AGRICULTURAL SELF-SUPPLIED

TOTAL

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

YEAR

GROUNDWATER

SURFACE WATER

600

800

1,000

400

200

0

1970 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 2000 02 04 2006

CITRUS

SUGARCANE

VEGETABLES

ACRES, IN THOUSANDS

YEAR
 Water Withdrawals and Use 27

slightly more than 0.200 million acres in 2000 and 2005 

(fig. 23). Because of Florida’s growth in population, housing, 

and commercial establishments over the past 20 years, the 

demand for ornamentals and grass (sod) has increased substantially. Irrigated acreage for commercial flowers, foliage and 

woody ornamentals, as well as sod has increased from just less 

than 0.070 million acres in 1985 to nearly 0.120 million acres 

in 2005. Many ornamental plants often require more water to 

grow and maintain compared to traditional crops.

Another important irrigation trend in Florida is the move 

toward more efficient irrigation systems. In 1980, about 

16 percent (0.300 million acres) of the acreage being irrigated 

statewide used micro systems, whereas more than 60 percent 

(1.200 million acres) was irrigated using less-efficient flood 

systems. By 2005, an estimated 38 percent (0.681 million 

acres) of the acreage being irrigated used more efficient 

micro-irrigation systems compared to 43 percent (0.765 million 

acres) that was irrigated using less efficient flood systems, 

and 19 percent (0.336 million acres) using sprinkler irrigation 

systems (fig. 24 and table 9). The increase in micro irrigation 

is particularly important for citrus, as nearly all of the newly 

replanted acreage is being irrigated by these more efficient systems, and most of the older groves have converted from flood 

or sprinkler systems to more efficient irrigation systems. Many 

other crops are utilizing these more efficient micro-irrigation 

systems as farmers statewide are moving away from flood or 

sprinkler systems to help conserve water.

In addition, the use of reclaimed wastewater, captured 

rainfall, and unused irrigation water (tailwater runoff) as alternative water sources has helped offset additional freshwater 

demands on groundwater and surface-water sources. Nearly 

94 Mgal/d of reclaimed wastewater was used for agricultural 

crop irrigation purposes in 2005 (Florida Department of 

Environmental Protection, 2006).

Recreational Irrigation

Recreational irrigation includes the application of water 

on lands to assist in the growing of turf grass and landscape 

vegetation for lawns or recreation purposes and also includes 

water used for aesthetic purposes. Turf-grass recreation 

includes the golf-course irrigation (including all grass and 

landscape associated with golf courses); and turf-grass lawns 

relate to all grass and landscape irrigation associated with 

athletic fields, cemeteries, common public or highway areas, 

parks, playgrounds, and lawns (primarily nonresidential, but 

may include some residential). Aesthetic uses include water 

used to fill or maintain nonagricultural ponds. Recreational 

irrigation is a relatively new category beginning with the 

1995 compilation; however, these data have been collected 

since 1985 and were included under the agricultural irrigation category for 1985 and 1990. Water used for recreational 

irrigation may be obtained from a public water supplier, 

reclaimed wastewater, or self-supplied. Acreage and water-use 

values reported in this section are for reclaimed wastewater 

or self-supplied withdrawals only, and uses of public-supply 

water for recreational irrigation would be included under the 

other uses of public supply (as presented in table 5).

 Water withdrawals for recreational irrigation totaled 

330 Mgal/d of freshwater in 2005 (table 10). Groundwater 

supplied 52 percent (171 Mgal/d) and surface water supplied 

48 percent (159 Mgal/d) (table 10). Reclaimed wastewater 

obtained from treated domestic wastewater facilities supplied 

an additional 321 Mgal/d of water used for recreational irrigation purposes in 2005 (Florida Department of Environmental 

Protection, 2006). The Floridan aquifer system supplied more 

than one-half (nearly 55 percent) of groundwater withdrawals 

(fig. 25), whereas local ponds, lakes, and canals contributed 

Figure 24. Historical agricultural acreage irrigated 

in Florida by major irrigation system type, 1980-2005. 

Modified from Marella (1997, 1999).

Figure 25. Recreational irrigation groundwater 

withdrawals in Florida by principal aquifer, 2005.

0

500

1,000

1,500

1980 85 90 95 2000 2005

FLOOD

SPRINKLER

MICRO

ACRES, IN THOUSANDS

YEAR

BISCAYNE AQUIFER

11.5 percent

INTERMEDIATE

AQUIFER

8 percent

SAND-ANDGRAVEL

AQUIFER

5 percent

FLORIDAN

AQUIFER

SYSTEM

54.5 percent

SURFICIAL

AQUIFER

SYSTEM

18 percent
28 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Table 10. Recreational irrigation water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day]

County

Groundwater Surface water Total water

Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total

Alachua 0.40 0.00 0.40 0.27 0.00 0.27 0.67 0.00 0.67

Baker 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.01

Bay 1.13 0.00 1.13 0.02 0.00 0.02 1.15 0.00 1.15

Bradford 0.43 0.00 0.43 0.03 0.00 0.03 0.46 0.00 0.46

Brevard 2.84 0.00 2.84 2.51 0.00 2.51 5.35 0.00 5.35

Broward 10.40 0.00 10.40 26.59 0.00 26.59 36.99 0.00 36.99

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Charlotte 0.64 0.00 0.64 2.25 0.00 2.25 2.89 0.00 2.89

Citrus 3.66 0.00 3.66 0.24 0.00 0.24 3.90 0.00 3.90

Clay 0.13 0.00 0.13 0.39 0.00 0.39 0.52 0.00 0.52

Collier 11.19 0.00 11.19 13.40 0.00 13.40 24.59 0.00 24.59

Columbia 0.38 0.00 0.38 0.12 0.00 0.12 0.50 0.00 0.50

DeSoto 0.57 0.00 0.57 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.57 0.00 0.57

Dixie 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Duval 1.71 0.00 1.71 3.45 0.00 3.45 5.16 0.00 5.16

Escambia 3.69 0.00 3.69 1.49 0.00 1.49 5.18 0.00 5.18

Flagler 0.18 0.00 0.18 0.56 0.00 0.56 0.74 0.00 0.74

Franklin 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.29 0.00 0.29 0.31 0.00 0.31

Gadsden 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.22 0.00 0.22 0.22 0.00 0.22

Gilchrist 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Glades 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.37 0.00 0.37 0.39 0.00 0.39

Gulf 0.11 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.11

Hamilton 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hardee 0.19 0.00 0.19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.19 0.00 0.19

Hendry 0.90 0.00 0.90 1.04 0.00 1.04 1.94 0.00 1.94

Hernando 3.63 0.00 3.63 0.74 0.00 0.74 4.37 0.00 4.37

Highlands 2.29 0.00 2.29 0.23 0.00 0.23 2.52 0.00 2.52

Hillsborough 12.31 0.00 12.31 1.76 0.00 1.76 14.07 0.00 14.07

Holmes 0.20 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.20

Indian River 1.12 0.00 1.12 6.38 0.00 6.38 7.50 0.00 7.50

Jackson 0.30 0.00 0.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.30 0.00 0.30

Jefferson 0.20 0.00 0.20 0.10 0.00 0.10 0.30 0.00 0.30

Lafayette 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lake 3.78 0.00 3.78 5.89 0.00 5.89 9.67 0.00 9.67

Lee 12.78 0.00 12.78 13.07 0.00 13.07 25.85 0.00 25.85

Leon 0.96 0.00 0.96 0.50 0.00 0.50 1.46 0.00 1.46

Levy 0.41 0.00 0.41 0.05 0.00 0.05 0.46 0.00 0.46

Liberty 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Madison 0.23 0.00 0.23 0.07 0.00 0.07 0.30 0.00 0.30

Manatee 4.92 0.00 4.92 1.63 0.00 1.63 6.55 0.00 6.55

Marion 4.05 0.00 4.05 1.11 0.00 1.11 5.16 0.00 5.16

Martin 4.79 0.00 4.79 5.48 0.00 5.48 10.27 0.00 10.27

Miami-Dade 7.72 0.00 7.72 5.68 0.00 5.68 13.40 0.00 13.40

Monroe 0.82 0.00 0.82 0.81 0.00 0.81 1.63 0.00 1.63

Nassau 1.12 0.00 1.12 1.71 0.00 1.71 2.83 0.00 2.83

Okaloosa 2.51 0.00 2.51 0.14 0.00 0.14 2.65 0.00 2.65

Okeechobee 0.46 0.00 0.46 0.54 0.00 0.54 1.00 0.00 1.00

Orange 6.43 0.00 6.43 4.06 0.00 4.06 10.49 0.00 10.49

Osceola 7.47 0.00 7.47 2.85 0.00 2.85 10.32 0.00 10.32

Palm Beach 18.39 0.00 18.39 32.32 0.00 32.32 50.71 0.00 50.71

Pasco 4.75 0.00 4.75 0.91 0.00 0.91 5.66 0.00 5.66

Pinellas 3.01 0.00 3.01 2.34 0.00 2.34 5.35 0.00 5.35

Polk 8.31 0.00 8.31 1.63 0.00 1.63 9.94 0.00 9.94

Putnam 0.09 0.00 0.09 0.07 0.00 0.07 0.16 0.00 0.16

St. Johns 0.30 0.00 0.30 2.91 0.00 2.91 3.21 0.00 3.21

St. Lucie 3.77 0.00 3.77 4.74 0.00 4.74 8.51 0.00 8.51

Santa Rosa 5.12 0.00 5.12 1.78 0.00 1.78 6.90 0.00 6.90

Sarasota 5.78 0.00 5.78 3.51 0.00 3.51 9.29 0.00 9.29

Seminole 0.66 0.00 0.66 0.94 0.00 0.94 1.60 0.00 1.60

Sumter 1.85 0.00 1.85 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.85 0.00 1.85

Suwannee 0.08 0.00 0.08 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.10 0.00 0.10

Taylor 0.08 0.00 0.08 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.10 0.00 0.10

Union 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Volusia 0.74 0.00 0.74 1.38 0.00 1.38 2.12 0.00 2.12

Wakulla 0.20 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.20

Walton 0.60 0.00 0.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60 0.00 0.60

Washington 0.20 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.20

State totals: 171.03 0.00 171.03 158.61 0.00 158.61 329.64 0.00 329.64
 Water Withdrawals and Use 29

Figure 26. Average daily recreational irrigation 

freshwater withdrawals by month in Florida, 2005.

Figure 27. Historical recreational irrigation 

freshwater withdrawals in Florida by source, 

1985-2005. Modified from Marella (2004).

to the majority of surface-water withdrawals. In many cases, 

these surface-water sources are augmented with groundwater 

or reclaimed wastewater or are designed to catch unused irrigation water and rainfall runoff in an effort to maintain water 

levels or storage for future irrigation needs. About 110 Mgal/d 

of reclaimed wastewater was used in 2005 for golf-course 

irrigation directly or indirectly by augmenting irrigation ponds 

(Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2006).

Monthly withdrawals for recreational irrigation had a 

large seasonal variation. Withdrawals were greatest during 

March, April, and May (accounting for 36 percent of the water 

used) and lowest in June, July, August, and September for 

2005 (fig. 26). A seasonal fluctuation of more than 300 Mgal/d 

in 2005 resulted from normal dry conditions during the spring 

months and normal summer rainfall. This pattern of seasonal 

withdrawals for recreational irrigation in Florida is normal. 

Nearly 42 percent of water withdrawals for recreational 

irrigation came from Palm Beach, Broward, Lee, and Collier 

Counties (table 10). For these counties, and other counties in 

central and southern Florida, recreational irrigation occurs 

year long. Pinellas and Palm Beach Counties were the largest 

user of reclaimed wastewater for recreational irrigation in 

2005 (Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2006). 

Golf-course irrigation was the largest user of water for 

this category in 2005, accounting for 225 Mgal/d (69 percent) 

of water withdrawals and 110 Mgal/d (34 percent) of 

reclaimed wastewater. Of the nearly 0.190 million acres 

irrigated for recreational purposes, nearly 70 percent was 

for golf courses and the remaining 30 percent was for other 

turf-grass or landscape uses. In 2005, an estimated 1,100 golf 

courses were located in Florida (National Golf Foundation, 

2006), covering an estimated 0.134 million acres, of which 

nearly 87 percent (0.117 million acres) was irrigated.

Water withdrawals for recreational irrigation increased 

82 percent between 1985 and 2005 (fig. 27), and golf-course 

acreage increased 62 percent. More recently, water withdrawals for recreation decreased 20 percent, but irrigated golfcourse acreage increased 6 percent. Golf-course irrigation is 

heavily dependent upon rainfall; normal rainfall deviations 

during a year can dramatically change annual water demands. 

In addition, golf courses in central and south Florida irrigate 

all year, and those along the coast must overcome sandy soils 

and high evaporation rates due to the seabreeze. These factors 

all contribute to golf-course irrigation water demands. Also, 

during the dry conditions across most of Florida in 2000, 

water demands were higher than normal compared to 2005 

when rainfall was more normal. Annual rainfall statewide for 

2000 was just over 43 in. compared to nearly 63 in. for 2005 

(U.S. Department of Commerce, 2008). Some of this demand 

was offset by the use of reclaimed water as the primary water 

source and the use of onsite irrigation ponds that depended on 

runoff. However, when rainfall did not provide enough water 

to maintain levels in the ponds, wells were often used as an 

irrigation source to augment water levels.

50

100

150

200

250

400

450

0

1950 55 60 65 70 80 85 90 95 2000 2005

300

350

75

RECREATIONAL IRRIGATION

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

YEAR

TOTAL

No Data Available

GROUNDWATER

SURFACE WATER

J F M A M J J A S O N D 0

200

600

300

400

500

100

RECREATIONAL

IRRIGATION

AVERAGE DAILY

WITHDRAWAL,

330 MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLON PER DAY

2005
30 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Power Generation

Power-generation use includes water withdrawals from 

thermoelectric power-generation facilities (fossil fuel or 

nuclear) and water used at hydroelectric facilities. A total of 

66 active power-generation facilities were in operation in 2005 

with an additional 4 powerplants used for standby use only 

(used only during extreme peak demands or while primary 

plants are down due to maintenance). Of the 66 active facilities, 14 small, private, or secondary power-generating facilities 

are used for peak loads or to generate electricity as a byproduct of their main function; 2 hydroelectric power-generating 

facilities are located in Florida.

More than 12,042 Mgal/d of water was withdrawn for 

power-generation purposes in 2005 (table 11). Saline water 

was the source of 11,484 Mgal/d (95 percent) and freshwater 

was the source of 558 Mgal/d (5 percent) of water withdrawals 

for power generation. Of the saline-water withdrawals, nearly 

all (99.9 percent) was from surface-water sources, and of the 

freshwater withdrawals, 97 percent was from surface-water 

sources (table 11). Overall, 98 percent (11,838 Mgal/d) of the 

total freshwater and saline-water withdrawals for power generation was used for once-through cooling purposes in 2005. Most 

of the water withdrawals for once-through cooling is returned 

to its source immediately after use. More than 203,800 GWh of 

total gross power was generated from the 66 inventoried facilities in Florida for 2005. Florida ranked second in the nation to 

California in saline-water withdrawals for power generation in 

2005 (Kenny and others, 2009). Withdrawals (fresh and saline) 

for power generation represent nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of 

all water withdrawals in Florida for 2005.

Most of the surface water was withdrawn from bays 

or rivers along the coast, which included the Anclote River 

(Pasco County), Caloosahatchee River (Lee County), Crystal River and the Gulf of Mexico (Citrus County), Escambia 

River (Escambia County), the Indian River (Brevard, Indian 

River, and St. Lucie Counties), the St. Johns River (Duval and 

Putnam Counties), and Tampa Bay (Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties). Although several of these bays or rivers are 

considered freshwater, the point of powerplant withdrawal is 

often tidally influenced, and the water may be fresh, brackish, 

or saline due to tidal flows (McPherson and Hammett, 1991). 

Water withdrawals reported in this report are considered saline 

at most of these plants unless they are permitted by the WMD 

as freshwater. The Floridan aquifer system was the source 

of 82 percent (14.5 Mgal/d) of fresh groundwater withdrawals for power generation in 2005. Public-supply deliveries 

to thermoelectric powerplants used for domestic purposes or 

as boiler make-up water totaled nearly 5 Mgal/d, but another 

21 Mgal/d of reclaimed wastewater was used directly for cooling purposes; however, a much larger amount of cooling water 

was obtained from lakes, ponds, or wetlands supplemented by 

reclaimed wastewater.

Monthly freshwater withdrawals for power generation 

fluctuated seasonally during 2005—the highest withdrawals 

were in June through October, as power demands increase due 

to hot weather (fig. 28). The largest amount of freshwater withdrawals were from Escambia County, and the largest amount of 

saline-water withdrawals were from Pasco County (table 11). 

Powerplants in Duval, Hillsborough, Orange, Polk, and Wakulla 

Counties used reclaimed wastewater to augment cooling water.

Total water withdrawals for power generation increased 

steadily between 1955 and 1980, when withdrawals peaked 

at 15,500 Mgal/d (fig. 29); but since 1985, withdrawals have 

decreased or nearly constant. Between 1990 and 2005, withdrawals for saline water increased 12 percent, but freshwater 

decreased 29 percent. Between 2000 and 2005, withdrawals 

for saline water decreased 4 percent and freshwater decreased 

15 percent. However, the total amount of gross power 

generated statewide increased 59 percent (75,500 GWh) 

between 1990 and 2005 and 20 percent (34,700 GWh) 

between 2000 and 2005. 

Figure 28. Average daily power-generation freshwater 

withdrawals by month in Florida, 2005.

Figure 29. Historical power-generation water withdrawals in 

Florida by source, 1950-2005. Modified from Marella (2004).

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

0

1950* 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 2000 2005

POWER GENERATION

YEAR

WITHDRAWALS, IN

MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

*Published water use

value for 1950 was not

differentiated between

fresh and saline water.

FRESHWATER

SALINE WATER

TOTAL

J F M A M J J A S O N D

400

200

600

800

1,000

0

POWER GENERATION

AVERAGE DAILY WITHDRAWAL,

558 MILLIION GALLONS PER DAY

2005

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY
 Water Withdrawals and Use 31

Table 11. Power-generation water withdrawals in Florida by county, 2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day]

County

Groundwater Surface water Total water

Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total Fresh Saline Total

Alachua 2.65 0.00 2.65 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.65 0.00 2.65

Baker 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bay 0.84 0.00 0.84 0.00 240.06 240.06 0.84 240.06 240.90

Bradford 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Brevard 0.14 0.00 0.14 0.00 868.02 868.02 0.14 868.02 868.16

Broward 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,529.21 1,529.21 0.00 1,529.21 1,529.21

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Charlotte 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Citrus 1.59 0.00 1.59 0.00 1,676.58 1,676.58 1.59 1,676.58 1,678.17

Clay 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Collier 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

DeSoto 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Dixie 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Duval 0.50 0.00 0.50 0.00 604.81 604.81 0.50 604.81 605.31

Escambia 2.12 0.00 2.12 223.27 0.00 223.27 225.39 0.00 225.39

Flagler 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Gadsden 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Gilchrist 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Glades 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Gulf 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hamilton 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hardee 0.87 0.00 0.87 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.87 0.00 0.87

Hendry 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hernando 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Highlands 0.08 0.00 0.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.08 0.00 0.08

Hillsborough 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,709.50 1,709.50 0.00 1,709.50 1,709.50

Holmes 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Indian River 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 102.08 102.08 0.00 102.08 102.08

Jackson 0.26 0.00 0.26 102.45 0.00 102.45 102.71 0.00 102.71

Jefferson 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lafayette 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lake 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lee 0.28 0.00 0.28 0.00 556.16 556.16 0.28 556.16 556.44

Leon 2.47 0.00 2.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.47 0.00 2.47

Levy 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Liberty 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Madison 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Manatee 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.92 0.00 5.92 5.92 0.00 5.92

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Martin 0.27 0.00 0.27 13.73 0.00 13.73 14.00 0.00 14.00

Miami-Dade 0.42 3.26 3.68 0.00 84.38 84.38 0.42 87.64 88.06

Monroe 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nassau 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Okaloosa 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Okeechobee 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Orange 0.44 0.00 0.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.44 0.00 0.44

Osceola 0.10 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.10

Palm Beach 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 424.93 424.93 0.00 424.93 424.93

Pasco 0.16 0.00 0.16 0.00 2,071.37 2,071.37 0.16 2,071.37 2,071.53

Pinellas 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 453.92 453.92 0.00 453.92 453.92

Polk 3.35 0.00 3.35 0.85 0.00 0.85 4.20 0.00 4.20

Putnam 0.56 0.00 0.56 22.48 0.00 22.48 23.04 0.00 23.04

St. Johns 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

St. Lucie 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,160.08 1,160.08 0.00 1,160.08 1,160.08

Santa Rosa 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sarasota 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Seminole 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sumter 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Suwannee 0.12 0.00 0.12 76.41 0.00 76.41 76.53 0.00 76.53

Taylor 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Union 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Volusia 0.34 0.00 0.34 89.04 0.00 89.04 89.38 0.00 89.38

Wakulla 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.37 0.00 6.37 6.37 0.00 6.37

Walton 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

State totals: 17.56 3.26 20.82 540.52 11,481.10 12,021.62 558.08 11,484.36 12,042.44
32 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

The reduction in freshwater withdrawals over the past 

25 years is due to an increase in water efficiency of existing 

or new facilities (Hughes, 1975). In addition, several existing 

powerplants and many new plants withdraw water only to augment or replenish the water in the cooling ponds. Furthermore, 

differences among years could have occurred due to facility 

downtime caused by plant maintenance or modernization. 

Significant downtime can substantially reduce the annual average water withdrawals at powerplants, and this is particularly 

evident when data are collected only every 5 years.

Water Management Districts

The Florida Water Resources Act of 1972 established 

authority for management of the State’s water resources 

through five WMDs that operate under the general supervision 

of the FDEP (formerly the Florida Departments of Natural 

Resources and Florida Departments of Environmental Regulation) (Fernald and Patton, 1984). These five WMDs, which 

encompass the entire State, are Northwest Florida WMD, St. 

Johns River WMD, South Florida WMD, Southwest Florida 

WMD, and Suwannee River WMD (fig. 2). 

Of the 17.92 million people who resided in Florida 

during 2005, 41 percent (7.36 million people) resided in 

SFWMD, followed by SJRWMD and SWFWMD with 

25 percent each (4.46 million and 4.44 million people, 

respectively), NWFWMD with 7.5 percent (1.34 million 

people), and SRWMD with 1.5 percent (0.32 million people) 

(fig. 30). SFWMD included the largest number of residents 

(6.88 million people) served by public-supply water systems (fig. 30), and SJRWMD has the largest self-supplied 

population (0.60 million people) in 2005.

The largest amount of freshwater withdrawals was from 

SFWMD, which was one-half (50 percent) of Florida’s total 

freshwater withdrawals (fig. 31 and table 12). The percentage 

of the total freshwater withdrawals in the other WMDs were: 

SJRWMD, 19 percent; SWFWMD, 16 percent; NWFWMD, 

10 percent; and SRWMD, 5 percent. SFWMD accounted 

for the largest amount of freshwater withdrawals for publicsupply use (47 percent), commercial-industrial self-supplied 

use (23 percent), agricultural self-supplied use (69 percent), 

and recreational irrigation use (59 percent). NWFWMD 

accounted for the largest amount of freshwater withdrawals for power-generation use (61 percent) and SWFWMD 

accounted for the largest amount of saline-water withdrawals 

for power-generation use (49.5 percent) (table 12). SFWMD 

accounted for the largest amount of fresh groundwater and 

surface-water withdrawals in 2005, and SWFWMD accounted 

for the largest amount of saline-water withdrawals in 2005 

(fig. 32 and table 12). 

Since water-use data were first compiled by the 

WMDs in 1975, total freshwater withdrawals decreased 

in NWFWMD (13 percent), SJRWMD (17 percent), and 

SWFWMD (30 percent), and increased in SFWMD (37 

percent) and SRWMD (6 percent) between 1975 and 2005. 

Excluding withdrawals for power generation, freshwater 

Figure 30. Population and population served by public 

supply in Florida by water management district, 2005.

Figure 31. Freshwater withdrawals in Florida by water 

management district, 2005.

Figure 32. Freshwater and saline-water withdrawals 

in Florida by water management district, 2005.

1

2

3

4

5

8

0

6

7 TOTAL

POPULATION

POPULATION

SERVED BY

PUBLIC SUPPLY

POPULATION, IN MILLIONS

NORTHWEST

FLORIDA

ST. JOHNS

RIVER

SOUTH

FLORIDA

SOUTHWEST

FLORIDA

SUWANNEE

RIVER

WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

0

NORTHWEST

FLORIDA

ST. JOHNS

RIVER

SOUTH

FLORIDA

SOUTHWEST

FLORIDA

SUWANNEE

RIVER

WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY

2005

FRESH SURFACE WATER

FRESH GROUNDWATER

SALINE SURFACE WATER

ST. JOHNS RIVER

19 percent

NORTHWEST

FLORIDA

10 percent

SUWANNEE

RIVER

5 percent

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

16 percent

SOUTH FLORIDA

50 percent
 Water Withdrawals and Use 33

Table 12. Water withdrawals by category in Florida by water management district, 2005.

[Source, U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; the St. Johns River Water Management District (2006); and the Southwest Florida 

Water Management District (2007); All values in million gallons per day; district totals may not be identical to data reported or published by the districts due to 

differences in data-collection procedures and categories of use or revisions in reported values; general locations of districts are shown in fig. 2]

Water Management District Fresh ground Fresh surface Total 

freshwater

Total 

saline water

Total 

all water

Northwest Florida (NWFWMD)

Public supply 139.19 45.11 184.30 0.00 184.30

Domestic self-supplied 19.15 0.00 19.15 0.00 19.15

Commercial-industrial-mining 43.36 23.97 67.33 0.00 67.33

Agricultural self-supplied 31.89 8.85 40.74 0.00 40.74

Recreational irrigation 15.09 4.49 19.58 0.00 19.58

Power generation 5.69 332.09 337.78 240.06 577.84

Totals: 254.37 414.51 668.88 240.06 908.94

St. Johns River (SJRWMD)

Public supply 565.12 15.87 580.99 0.00 580.99

Domestic self-supplied 70.58 0.00 70.58 0.00 70.58

Commercial-industrial-mining 80.15 30.38 110.53 1.19 111.72

Agricultural self-supplied 252.74 127.67 380.41 0.00 380.41

Recreational irrigation 16.09 28.25 44.34 0.00 44.34

Power generation 2.15 111.52 113.67 1,574.91 1,688.58

Totals: 986.83 313.69 1,300.52 1,576.10 2,876.62

South Florida (SFWMD)

Public supply 1,135.63 53.09 1,188.72 0.00 1,188.72

Domestic self-supplied 45.64 0.00 45.64 0.00 45.64

Commercial-industrial-mining 64.52 49.30 113.82 0.00 113.82

Agricultural self-supplied 596.42 1,311.87 1,908.29 0.00 1,908.29

Recreational irrigation 84.64 110.43 195.07 0.00 195.07

Power generation 1.07 13.73 14.80 3,758.02 3,772.82

Totals: 1,927.92 1,538.42 3,466.34 3,758.02 7,224.36

Southwest Florida (SWFWMD)

Public supply 345.62 225.19 570.81 0.00 570.81

Domestic self-supplied 34.48 0.00 34.48 0.00 34.48

Commercial-industrial-mining 96.09 14.26 110.35 0.00 110.35

Agricultural self-supplied 298.55 13.71 312.26 0.00 312.26

Recreational irrigation 53.92 14.98 68.90 0.00 68.90

Power generation 6.05 6.77 12.82 5,911.37 5,924.19

Totals: 834.71 274.91 1,109.62 5,911.37 7,020.99

Suwannee River (SRWMD)

Public supply 15.70 0.00 15.70 0.00 15.70

Domestic self-supplied 20.53 0.00 20.53 0.00 20.53

Commercial-industrial-mining 81.44 4.86 86.30 0.00 86.30

Agricultural self-supplied 121.97 2.51 124.48 0.00 124.48

Recreational irrigation 1.29 0.46 1.75 0.00 1.75

Power generation 2.60 76.41 79.01 0.00 79.01

Totals: 243.53 84.24 327.77 0.00 327.77

State totals: 4,247.36 2,625.77 6,873.13 11,485.55 18,358.68
34 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

withdrawals increased between 1975 and 2005 in SRWMD 

(82 percent), SFWMD (36 percent), NWFWMD (18 percent), 

and SJRWMD (12 percent), and decreased in SWFWMD 

(6.5 percent) during this period (fig. 33). Between 2000 and 

2005, freshwater withdrawals (excluding withdrawals for 

power generation) decreased in SWFWMD (28 percent), 

SJRWMD (19 percent), SFWMD (12.5 percent), and 

NWFWMD (8 percent), and increased in SRWMD 

(13 percent). Most of the change between 1975 and 2005 was 

a result of an increase in population and irrigated acreage. But, 

the more recent change between 2000 and 2005, was due to 

an increase in rainfall between 2000 compared to 2005, and a 

decrease in irrigated acreage for selected crops over this time. 

 Between 1975 and 2005, fresh groundwater withdrawals 

fluctuated in all five WMDs, peaking in 2000 (fig. 34). More 

recently, fresh groundwater withdrawals decreased between 

2000 and 2005, except for SRWMD (fig. 34). Excluding 

withdrawals for power generation, groundwater has been the 

primary source of water in all five WMDs since 1975. 

Increases in population and irrigated acreage over this 30-year 

period have lead to increases in groundwater withdrawals in 

all WMDs. But, more recently, withdrawals have declined as a 

result of decreases in irrigated acreage coupled with increased 

conservation and water restrictions. 

Fresh surface-water withdrawals have decreased 

between 1975 and 2005 in all but SFWMD (fig. 35). 

Most of the decrease in the other four WMDs occurred in 

power-generation withdrawals during this period, along 

with small declines in fresh surface used for agricultural 

irrigation or commercial-industrial self-supplied. Between 

1975 and 2005, fresh surface-water withdrawals fluctuated 

in SFWMD, peaking in 2000 (fig. 35). Nearly all of this 

increase was a result of increases in irrigated acreage, but the 

decrease between 2000 and 2005 was a result of a decrease in 

irrigated acreage along with higher rainfall in 2005 compared 

to 2000.

View of urban development in central Florida. Photograph courtesy of H. Means, Florida Geological Survey.
 Water Withdrawals and Use 35

Figure 33. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by water management district, 1975-2005. 

Modified from Marella (2004).

Figure 35. Historical fresh surface-water withdrawals in Florida by 

water management district, 1975-2005. Modified from Marella (2004).

Figure 34. Historical fresh groundwater withdrawals in Florida by 

water management district, 1975-2005. Modified from Marella (2004).

1,000

2,000

3,000

5,000

0

4,000

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

(Excludes power-generation withdrawals)

NORTHWEST

FLORIDA

ST. JOHNS

RIVER

SOUTH

FLORIDA

SOUTHWEST

FLORIDA

SUWANNEE

RIVER

WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

FRESH GROUNDWATER

South Florida

Southwest

Florida

St. Johns River

Northwest Florida

Suwannee River

YEAR

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY

1,000

1,500

2,500

2,000

500

0

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1,000

1,500

2,000

500

0

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

2,500

FRESH SURFACE WATER

YEAR

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY

South Florida

Southwest

Florida

St. Johns

River

Florida

Suwannee

Northwest

River
36 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Between 1975 and 2005, freshwater withdrawals 

fluctuated statewide, peaking in 2000 (fig. 37 and table 13). 

Freshwater withdrawals in Florida are primarily for agricultural irrigation and public supply (77 percent of total freshwater withdrawals in 2005) and, therefore, are influenced by 

population, irrigated acreage, and rainfall. Florida’s population increased by 9.44 million people between 1975 and 2005 

(table 13) and, as a result, freshwater withdrawals for public 

supply increased 126 percent between 1975 and 2005. Public 

supply accounted for 37 percent of freshwater withdrawals 

in 2005 compared to 17 percent in 1975. Irrigated acreage 

decreased by 3 percent between 1975 and 2005 and, coupled 

with the use of more efficient irrigation systems, freshwater 

withdrawals for agricultural irrigation decreased 6 percent 

between 1975 and 2005. Agricultural irrigation accounted for 

40 percent of freshwater withdrawals in 2005 compared to 

43 percent in 1975. 

Fresh groundwater withdrawals have increased steadily 

between 1950 and 2005, peaking in 2000 (fig. 38 and table 

13). This long-term trend is a result of many factors, the most 

prominent being the availability of large quantities of highquality freshwater underlying most areas of the State coupled 

with the ability to pump large volumes of water economically 

from deep wells. In addition, increases in demand posed by 

population growth, tourism, and crop irrigation have also 

made groundwater more important over the past 50 years. 

Groundwater has been the primary source of freshwater in 

Florida between 1980 and 2005, supplying about 60 percent 

of total freshwater withdrawals. More recently, groundwater 

withdrawals have fluctuated somewhat (fig. 38), as demands 

change due to rainfall, water conservation and restrictions, and 

the use of reclaimed wastewater.

Fresh surface-water withdrawals increased dramatically 

between 1950 and 1975, peaking in 1965 (fig. 38 and table 

13). More recently, fresh surface-water withdrawals have 

remained fairly constant with some minor fluctuations 

between 1980 and 2005 (fig. 38 and table 13). The early trend 

was a result of an increase in power generation, because many 

new facilities were built in the 1950s and 1960s along with 

the draining of land for crop production in southern Florida. 

Through a series of canals, levees, and pump stations built 

between the 1950s and 1960s, surface water became available to irrigate thousands of acres of vegetables and sugarcane 

(Renken and others, 2005). Between 1950 and 1970, power 

generation accounted for 65 to 80 percent of the fresh surfacewater withdrawals. During the 1970s and into the 1980s many 

powerplants were built along the coast so they could use 

saline surface water; more recently, most powerplants became 

 Water Withdrawal Trends, 1950-2005

Statewide withdrawal and water-use estimates have been 

compiled for Florida every 5 years since 1950; however, variations in historical water-use values are sometimes difficult to 

assess because of differences in data-collection techniques 

and sources of information through the years (Marella, 2004). 

Since 1970, statewide water-use data for all withdrawal 

categories have been collected, tabulated, and published eight 

times by many agencies (five WMDs, the Florida Geological 

Survey, FDEP, and the USGS). It is important to realize that 

when water-use data are only compiled in 5-year intervals, 

any unique circumstance occurring within a year can influence the values for that year and can make comparing trends 

somewhat difficult. For example, water withdrawals for 2000 

were very high due to extreme dry conditions during that year, 

and when compared to previous years, it appears that water 

use was on the increase. For 2005, a more normal year for 

rainfall, it appears withdrawals decreased based on the 2000 

values. Annual rainfall statewide for 2000 was just over 43 in. 

compared to nearly 63 in. for 2005 (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2008). For the six statewide inventories between 1980 

and 2005, the effect of rainfall on water demands is evident 

by the fluctuation in agricultural water withdrawals, as water 

demands are higher in drier years and lower in wetter years 

(fig. 36). For public supply, rainfall has less of an effect on 

withdrawals even though a significant percentage of water 

used for public supply is for lawn watering (fig. 36). Average 

rainfall for Florida between 1905 and 2005 was estimated at 

54 in. (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2008). 

Total water (fresh and saline) withdrawals in Florida 

increased 15,700 Mgal/d (600 percent) between 1950 

and 2005, while the population of Florida increased by 

15.15 million (550 percent) during this 55-year period 

(fig. 37 and table 13). Between 1990 and 2005, total withdrawals increased 400 Mgal/d (2 percent), while the population increased 4.98 million (38 percent). More recently, total 

withdrawals decreased nearly 1,790 Mgal/d (9 percent), while 

the total population increased by 1.94 million (12 percent) 

between 2000 and 2005. 

Overall, saline-water withdrawals, which were nearly 

all for power generation, were highest in 1977 and 1980 

(table 13) as power-generation demands peaked during this 

time (fig. 29). Since then, power-generation water demands 

have decreased due to the increase in water efficiency and the 

recycling of cooling water after routing the water to cooling 

ponds or cooling towers. Between 1975 and 2005, gross power 

generated in Florida increased by 122,700 GWh (151 percent), 

but saline-water withdrawals remained nearly the same 

(11,391 Mgal/d in 1975 compared to 11,481 Mgal/d in 2005). 
 Water Withdrawal Trends, 1950-2005 37

Figure 36. Freshwater withdrawals for agricultural self-supplied and 

public supply with statewide average annual rainfall in Florida, 1980-2005. 

From Marella (2004) and U.S. Department of Commerce (2008).

Figure 37. Historical total population, freshwater, and saline-water withdrawals in Florida, 

1950-2005. Modified from Dietrich (1978), Marella (2004), and University of Florida (2006).

Figure 38. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by source, 1950-2005. Modified 

from Marella (2004).

0

500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

0

20

40

60

80

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1,000

1,500

AGRICULTURAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

PUBLIC

SUPPLY

ANNUAL RAINFALL,

IN INCHES

YEAR

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

22,000

0

22

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0 1950 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 2000 2005

FRESHWATER

SALINE WATER

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION

GALLONS PER DAY

YEAR

TOTAL FRESHWATER

AND SALINE WATER

POPULATION, IN MILLIONS

POPULATION

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

6,000

5,000

0

1950 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 2000 2005

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

GROUNDWATER

SURFACE WATER

YEAR
38 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Table 13. Historical population and water withdrawals in Florida by source, 1950-2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; water values in million gallons per day; N/A, data not available]

Year

Population 

(in millions)

Water withdrawals

Nonpotable 

water(a)

Reclaimed 

water(b)

Freshwater Saline water

Total water

Total Served by 

public supply Ground Surface Total Total

1950 2.77 1.66 614.0 (c)840.0 1,454.0 (c)1,200.0 2,654.0 

1955 3.86 2.30 1,017.0 1,150.0 2,167.0 645.0 2,812.0 - - 

1960 4.95 3.37 1,560.0 2,200.0 3,760.0 3,360.0 7,120.0 - - 

1965 5.87 4.81 2,218.5 4,633.5 6,852.0 6,261.0 13,113.0 - - 

1970 6.79 5.42 2,786.7 2,825.6 5,612.3 9,545.0 15,157.3 1.6 N/A

1975 8.48 6.81 3,214.6 3,558.1 6,772.7 11,502.0 18,274.7 1.7 N/A

1977 8.72 6.99 3,429.5 3,116.8 6,546.3 14,812.0 21,358.3 1.2 N/A

1980 9.75 7.79 3,677.2 3,024.0 6,701.2 13,897.0 20,598.2 2.5 N/A

1985 11.32 9.74 4,047.7 2,265.7 6,313.4 10,798.3 17,111.7 17.3 206.0 

1990 12.94 11.23 4,664.7 2,918.9 7,583.6 10,366.1 17,949.7 47.9 266.0 

1995 14.15 12.21 4,348.8 2,881.1 7,229.9 10,965.7 18,195.6 57.9 402.0 

2000 15.98 14.03 5,078.7 3,113.1 8,191.8 11,955.8 20,147.6 95.3 575.0 

2005 17.92 16.13 4,247.3 2,625.8 6,873.1 11,485.6 18,358.7 141.7 659.7 

(a) Nonpotable water includes water treated through desalination or diluted with fresher water to meet secondary drinking standards.

(b) Reclaimed wastewater includes all water reported by Florida Department of Environmental Protection as all types of reuse and wastewater disposal.

(c) Data for 1950 did not show freshwater or saline surface-water totals, values shown are estimated.

Data sources; Population

1950-1970 - University of Florida (Dietrich, 1978).

1975-2005 - Florida Statistical Abstract and United States Statistical Abstracts.

Data sources; Population served and water withdrawals (WRIR, Water-Resources Investigations Report; SIR, Scientific Investigations Report)

1950 - Modified from USGS Circular 115 (MacKichan, 1951). 

1955 - Modified from USGS Circular 398 (MacKichan, 1957). 

1960 - Modified from USGS Circular 456 (MacKichan and Kammerer, 1961). 

1965 - Modified from USGS Circular 556 (Murray, 1968). 

1970 - Modified from USGS Circular 676 (Murray and Reeves, 1972). 

1975 - USGS WRIR 78-17 (Leach, 1978). 

1977 - USGS WRIR 79-112 (Leach and Healy, 1980). 

1980 - USGS WRIR 82-4090 (Leach, 1983). 

1985 - USGS WRIR 88-4103 (Marella, 1988). 

1990 - USGS WRIR 92-4140 (Marella, 1992). 

1995 - USGS WRIR 99-4002 (Marella, 1999). 

2000 - USGS SIR 2004-5151 (Marella, 2004). 

Data sources; Reclaimed water

1985-2005 - 2005 Reuse Inventory (Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2006)
 Water Withdrawal Trends, 1950-2005 39

Figure 39. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by category, 

1975-2005. Modified from Marella (2004).

more water efficient or only withdrew water to augment losses 

for cooling ponds or towers. Surface water was the primary 

source of freshwater in Florida, supplying more than one-half 

of the total freshwater withdrawals between 1950 and 1975. 

Since 1980, however, surface water supplies about 40 percent 

of the State’s freshwater withdrawals. In 2005, withdrawals 

for irrigation accounted for about 55 percent of the total fresh 

surface-water withdrawals, compared to power generation 

at 20 percent. 

Total public-supply freshwater withdrawals increased 

1,416 Mgal/d (126 percent) between 1975 and 2005, and 

increased 104 Mgal/d (4 percent) in the 5 years between 2000 

and 2005 (fig. 39 and table 14). Total population served by 

public supply increased by 9.32 million (137 percent) between 

1975 and 2005, and increased by 2.10 million (15 percent) 

between 2000 and 2005 (table 13). Increases in public-supply 

withdrawals are a result of population growth and tourism 

during this time, along with higher demands from commercial 

and industrial facilities that obtain water from public-supply 

water systems. Deliveries of public-supply water to commercial-industrial users increased 426 Mgal/d (258 percent) 

between 1975 (Leach, 1978) and 2005 and 33 Mgal/d 

(6 percent) between 2000 and 2005.

Domestic self-supplied withdrawals have ranged from 

190 to 300 Mgal/d between 1975 and 2005 (table 14). During 

this period, the domestic self-supplied population in Florida 

has remained about 2 million people (table 13). Between 1995 

and 2000, the method used to calculate the domestic selfsupplied withdrawals changed, because the domestic per capita 

was used in most counties for 2000 and 2005 compared to the 

public-supply gross per capita in prior years (see domestic selfsupplied section). All withdrawals for domestic self-supplied 

are assumed to be from groundwater sources.

Freshwater withdrawals for commercial-industrial 

self-supplied use decreased 394 Mgal/d (45 percent) between 

1975 and 2005, and 101 Mgal/d (18 percent) between 2000 

and 2005 (fig. 39 and table 14). Commercial-industrial selfsupplied withdrawals decreased because of a decline in 

manufacturing in Florida, as evident by the closure of several 

large paper mills, phosphate mines, and other manufacturing 

facilities over the past 15 years. In addition, many self-supplied 

commercial and industrial users switched to using public supply as a water source, whereas other self-supplied facilities 

became more efficient or recirculated water (primarily to lower 

their discharge amount). Most new commercial users obtain 

their water from a public supplier.

Freshwater withdrawals for agricultural self-supplied 

decreased 164 Mgal/d (6 percent) between 1975 and 2005, and 

1,157 Mgal/d (30 percent) between 2000 and 2005 (fig. 39 and 

table 14). Agricultural withdrawals vary due to fluctuations in 

rainfall and acres irrigated. Statewide average annual rainfall varied by nearly 20 in. over six compilations in the past 

30 years, and these fluctuations in rainfall dramatically affected 

irrigation demands between 1975 and 2005 (fig. 36). Irrigated 

acreage decreased by 3 percent between 1975 and 2005, and 

38 percent of the acres irrigated in 2005 used more efficient 

irrigation systems compared to 16 percent 30 years ago. In 

addition, long-term withdrawals have decreased because of 

improved conservation measures, better management practices, 

and long-term water restrictions. 

Freshwater withdrawals for recreational irrigation 

increased 148 Mgal/d (82 percent) between 1985 and 2005 

(fig. 39 and table 14). Golf-course irrigation is the largest user 

of water in this category, and irrigated golf-course acreage 

increased by 0.043 million acres (57 percent) between 1985 

and 2005. More recently, withdrawals for recreational irrigation decreased 82 Mgal/d (20 percent) between 2000 and 2005, 

IRRIGATION

FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS,

IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

AGRICULTURAL

SELF-SUPPLIED

POWER

GENERATION

PUBLIC SUPPLY

COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL

RECREATIONAL

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

YEAR
40 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Table 14. Historical freshwater withdrawals in Florida by category, 1970-2005.

[Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee; all values in million gallons per day; – , no data available or partial data only; 

N/A, totals not available]

Year

Public supply

Domestic

self-supplied

Commercial-industrial

self-supplied

Agricultural

self-supplied

Recreational

irrigation Power generation Total freshwater withdrawals

Ground Surface Treated Ground Surface Ground Surface Ground Surface Ground Surface Ground Surface Ground Surface Totals

1970 753.10 130.30 1.6 209.20 0.00 683.60 215.90 1,136.35 964.35 0.00 0.00 4.50 1,515.00 2,786.75 2,825.55 5,612.30

1971 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1972 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1973 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1974 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1975 962.80 161.30 1.7 225.75 2.05 721.85 160.70 1,289.90 1,640.70 0.00 0.00 14.30 1,593.40 3,214.60 3,558.15 6,772.75

1976 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1977 1,059.10 172.80 1.2 213.00 1.01 703.68 153.54 1,437.29 1,479.50 0.00 0.00 16.43 1,309.93 3,429.50 3,116.78 6,546.28

1978 1,052.60 154.10 2.0 239.30 1.00 – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1979 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1980 1,225.95 180.45 2.5 243.40 0.10 615.24 85.08 1,572.80 1,452.60 0.00 0.00 19.80 1,305.80 3,677.19 3,024.03 6,701.22

1981 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1982 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1983 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1984 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

1985 1,491.80 193.64 17.3 259.29 0.00 631.53 77.28 1,526.66 1,271.15 119.65 61.84 18.74 661.76 4,047.67 2,265.67 6,313.34

1986 1,542.77 191.28 N/A – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1987 1,634.68 199.73 37.4 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1988 1,693.21 211.29 N/A – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1989 1,754.10 217.80 42.4 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1990 1,698.82 226.33 47.9 299.38 0.00 630.88 139.06 1,800.19 1,695.03 212.31 97.72 23.14 760.72 4,664.72 2,918.86 7,583.58

1991 1,701.31 245.04 46.3 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1992 1,780.05 242.61 47.5 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1993 1,810.38 218.47 53.4 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1994 1,800.06 210.64 58.4 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1995 1,868.77 210.47 57.9 296.74 0.00 438.12 253.71 1,527.52 1,716.58 196.38 84.50 21.25 615.88 4,348.78 2,881.14 7,229.92

1996 1,922.40 208.98 65.5 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1997 1,929.16 221.04 66.0 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1998 2,057.04 218.38 75.1 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

1999 2,087.59 239.07 88.5 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

2000 2,199.36 237.43 95.3 198.68 0.00 430.70 132.60 1,989.95 1,933.06 230.45 181.28 29.53 628.73 5,078.67 3,113.10 8,191.77

2001 2,047.31 226.38 99.4 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

2002 2,109.54 248.50 105.6 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

2003 2,095.34 276.37 113.9 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

2004 2,185.78 319.47 135.0 – – – – – – – – – – N/A N/A N/A

2005 2,201.26 339.26 141.7 190.38 0.00 365.56 122.77 1,301.57 1,464.61 171.03 158.61 17.56 540.52 4,247.36 2,625.77 6,873.13

Values for 2005 presented in this table may differ from those published earlier for 2005 due to changes in data. These values represent the most current State totals for 2005.

Public-supply treated water includes brackish water treated through a desalination process or diluted with fresher water to meet public drinking-water standards.

The estimation procedure for domestic self-supplied withdrawals changed for 2000, as a different per capita was used to calculate withdrawals compared to previous years.

Agricultural self-supplied includes water withdrawn for crop irrigation, livestock, and fish farming purposes.

Recreational irrigation includes water used for all turf grasses (golf, commercial, industrial, and public). This category was accounted for under Agricultural self-supplied from 1965 

through 1984. 

Data sources;

1970 - 2000 - USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5151 (Marella, 2004).

2001 - 2004 - USGS unpublished water-use data files, Tallahassee, Florida.
 Water Withdrawal Trends, 1950-2005 41

but irrigated golf-course acreage remained nearly the same. 

Most of this recent decrease is a result of additional rainfall 

during 2005 and an increase in the use of reclaimed water for 

golf-course irrigation. Golf-course data were included under 

agricultural irrigation prior to 1985.

Freshwater withdrawals for power generation decreased 

1,050 Mgal/d (65 percent) between 1975 and 2005, and 

100 Mgal/d (15 percent) between 2000 and 2005 (fig. 39 and 

table 14). This decrease was due to an increase in water 

efficiency and the recycling of cooling water after routing the 

water to cooling ponds or cooling towers (Hughes, 1975). 

Between 1975 and 2005, gross power generated in Florida 

increased by 122,700 GWh (151 percent) and by 35,000 GWh 

(20 percent) between 2000 and 2005. 

The use of nonpotable groundwater as a source of supply, 

primarily for public supply, also has increased in Florida. 

Nonpotable is defined as water that does not meet drinkingwater standards set by FDEP and, therefore, needs some form 

of treatment or dilution to meet set standards. The amount of 

nonpotable water treated to meet drinking-water standards 

increased from just under 2 Mgal/d in 1970, to 142 Mgal/d in 

2005 (tables 13 and 14). Several public-supply water systems 

depend solely on nonpotable treated water, but most water systems use nonpotable water to augment their existing sources. 

Most of this nonpotable water use is located along the east and 

west coast of central and south Florida and is obtained from 

groundwater sources.

Reclaimed wastewater is water treated by a domestic 

or industrial wastewater-treatment facility and made available for use again. The use of reclaimed wastewater increased 

from 206 Mgal/d in 1986 to nearly 660 Mgal/d in 2005 (Florida 

Department of Environmental Protection, 2006) (table 13). 

Approximately one-half (331 Mgal/d) of the reclaimed wastewater flow in 2005 was used to reduce potable-quality water withdrawals for urban irrigation, agricultural irrigation, and industrial 

use, but one-third (220 Mgal/d) of the reclaimed wastewater was 

returned to available water supplies as aquifer recharge (Gregory 

M. Brown, FDEP, written commun., 2008). The use of reclaimed 

water is expected to continue to increase statewide (Florida 

Department of Environmental Protection, 2006).

Many factors that affect water demands in Florida are 

detailed in this report (climate, economics, population growth, 

tourism and others), as well as many factors not mentioned 

(social-economic factors, such as household size, age, income, 

and age of resident, among others). All of these factors affect 

saline and freshwater demands during a given period. However, it is difficult to determine or measure the effects of any 

one of them individually. Therefore, it is assumed that these 

factors have a cumulative effect on current and historical water 

use in Florida and vary from year to year.

Center pivot irrigation in North Florida.
42 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

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base: utility profiles: Denver, Colo., American Water Works 

Association, 80 p.

Bucca, Jane, and Marella, R.L., 1992, An improved method 

for determining the nonresidential water use component 

of total public water supply estimates, in Jones, M.E., 

and Laenen, Antonius (eds.), Interdisciplinary approaches 

in hydrology and hydrogeology: American Institute of 

Hydrology, p. 511-523.

Buros, O.K., 1989, Desalting practices in the United States: 

American Water Works Association Journal, v. 81, no. 11, 

p. 38-42.

Campbell, K.M., 1986, The industrial minerals of Florida: 

Tallahassee, Florida Bureau of Geology Information 

Circular 102, 94 p.

Davis, W.Y., Rodrigo, D.M., Opitz, E.M., and others, 1988, 

IWR-Main water use forecasting system, version 5.1: Users 

manual and system description: Fort Belvoir, Va., U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, 

IWR-Main Report 88-R-6, 273 p.

Dietrich, T.S., 1978, The urbanization of Florida’s population: 

An historical perspective of county growth 1830-1970: 

Gainesville, University of Florida, College of Business Administration, Bureau of Economic and Business 

Research, 211 p.

Duerr, A.D., Hunn, J.D., Lewelling, B.R., and Trommer, J.T., 

1988, Geohydrology and 1985 water withdrawals of the 

aquifer systems in southwest Florida, with emphasis on the 

intermediate aquifer system: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations 87-4259, 115 p.

Dykes, G.M., and Conlon, W.J., 1989, Use of membrane 

technology in Florida: American Water Works Association 

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Fernald, E.A., and Patton, D.J., eds., 1984, Water resource 

atlas of Florida: Tallahassee, Florida State University, 

Institute of Science and Public Affairs, 291 p.

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Tallahassee, Florida State University, Institute of Science 

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atlas of Florida: Tallahassee, Florida State University, 

Institute of Science and Public Affairs, 312 p.

Florida Agricultural Statistics Service, 2007, Commercial 

citrus inventory 2006: Orlando, Florida Agricultural 

Statistics Service, Florida Department of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services, 81 p. 

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2006, Florida Agriculture Statistical Directory 2006: 

Tallahassee, Division of Marketing and Development 

August, 2006, 174 p.

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Drinking water standards, monitoring, and reporting: 

Tallahassee, chap. 17-550, 48 p.

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Reuse inventory: Tallahassee, Water Reuse Program, 21 p.

Hodges, A.W., Haydu, J.J., van Blokland, P.J., and Bell, A.P., 

1994, Contribution of the turf grass industry to Florida’s 

economy, 1991/92: A value added approach: Gainesville, 

University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural 

Sciences, Food and Resource Economics Department, 

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Glossary 45

Glossary 

A

Advanced wastewater treatment Any 

treatment of sewage that goes beyond the 

secondary or biological water treatment 

stage and includes the removal of nutrients, 

such as phosphorus and nitrogen and a 

high percentage of suspended solids. This 

treatment is more stringent than secondary 

treatment, and requires an 85 percent 

reduction in conventional pollutant 

concentrations or a significant reduction 

in nonconventional pollutants (U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1997, 

written commun.).

Agriculture water use Includes water used 

for agricultural irrigation and nonirrigation 

purposes. Irrigation water use includes the 

artificial application of water on lands to assist 

in the growing of crops, plants, and pasture. 

Nonirrigation water use includes water used 

for livestock, fish farming, and other farm 

needs. Livestock water use includes water 

used for stock watering, feedlots, and dairy 

operations. The water can be obtained from a 

public supply or be self-supplied.

C

Commercial water use Water for motels, 

hotels, restaurants, office buildings, 

commercial facilities and civilian and military 

institutions. The water may be obtained from 

a public supply or be self supplied.

Community water system A public water 

system which serves at least 15 service 

connections used by year-round residents 

or regularly serves at least 25 year-round 

residents (Florida Department of 

Environmental Regulation, 1990).

Consumptive use That part of water 

withdrawn that is evaporated, transpired, 

incorporated into products or crops, consumed 

by humans or livestock, or otherwise removed 

from the immediate water environment. 

Sometimes called water consumed or water 

depleted.

Cooling pond Usually a manmade water 

body used by power plants or large industrial 

plants that enables the facility to recirculate 

once-through cooling water. The water levels

in the pond are usually maintained by rainfall 

or augmented by pumping (withdrawal of) 

water from another source (fresh, saline, or 

reclaimed).

Cooling tower A large tower or stack that 

is used for heat exchange of once-through 

cooling water generated by steam condensers. 

Hot water from the plant is sprayed into 

the top of the tower and exchanges heat 

with the passing air as it falls. The water 

is then collected at the bottom of the tower 

and used again. A small amount of water is 

lost (consumed) through evaporation in this 

process. See cooling water or once-through 

cooling.

Cooling water Water used for cooling 

purposes by electric generators, steam 

condensers, large machinery or products at 

power or industrial plants. Water used for 

cooling purposes can be either fresh, saline, 

or reclaimed and may be used only once or 

recirculated multiple times. See cooling pond 

or once-through cooling water.

D

Desalination The removal of salts from 

highly mineralized water. Desalination is 

primarily used for public-supply water to 

ensure that it meets Florida Department of 

Environmental Protection secondary drinking 

standards. The primary types of desalination 

used in Florida are: (1) distillation, 

(2) electrodialysis processes, and (3) reverse 

osmosis processes (Buros, 1989, South 

Florida Water Management District, 1990). 

The reverse osmosis processes are the most 

commonly used in Florida followed by 

electrodialysis (Dykes and Conlon, 1989). In 

addition to these three desalination processes, 

many public suppliers also dilute or blend 

nonpotable or brackish water with fresher 

water to produce potable water. Also see 

reverse osmosis.

Dewatering The deliberate attempt to 

lower the ground-water level in or below 

land surface for selected purposes such as 

agricultural, construction, mining or other 

activities. For mining operation, dewatering 

usually is accomplished by pumping the water 
46 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

out of the ground and discharging to a surfacewater body. However, some dewatering 

involves gravity feeding water from the 

surficial aquifer into a deeper aquifer (usually 

the Floridan aquifer system) through recharge 

wells (Campbell, 1986). 

Domestic wastewater facility Facilities 

that receive or dispose of wastewater derived 

principally from residential dwellings, 

business or commercial buildings, institutions, 

and other facilities (Florida Department of 

Environmental Regulation, 1991). Can also 

include some waste-water derived from 

industrial facilities. May also be referred to as 

a municipal wastewater facility.

Domestic water use Water for normal 

household purposes, such as drinking, food 

preparation, bathing, washing clothes and 

dishes, flushing toilets, and other indoor uses. 

It also includes outdoor uses, such as car 

washing and watering household lawns and 

gardens. Also called residential water use. The 

water can be obtained from a public supply or 

be self supplied.

E

Effluent Water that flows out of a wastewater 

treatment facility or septic tanks that are used 

for the purpose of treating, stabilizing, or 

holding waste.

F

Flood irrigation Irrigation systems that 

control the water table with lateral supply 

ditches. These include open field ditch 

systems (furrows), semi-closed conveyance 

systems, subsurface conduit systems, crown 

flood systems, and continuous flood systems. 

Also includes seepage or subsurface irrigation 

systems. The efficiencies of these flood 

irrigation systems range from 20 to 80 percent 

(Smajstrla and others, 1988); however, an 

average of 60 percent is commonly used for 

estimating water requirements. May also be 

referred to as subsurface irrigation.

Freshwater Water that contains less than 

1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of dissolved 

solids; generally, more than 500 mg/L is 

considered undesirable for drinking and 

many industrial uses. Generally, freshwater is 

considered potable.

G

Giga watt hour (GWh) A measure of 

electricity, one billion watthours.

Groundwater That part of the subsurface 

water that is in the saturated zone (a zone in 

which all voids are filled with water).

Groundwater disposal Wastewater that 

is disposed of through the ground either 

by injection or seepage. This includes the 

following discharge methods; absorption 

beds, injection wells, drainfields, percolation 

ponds, rapid infiltration basins, spray fields, 

and land application systems (Marella, 1994). 

Land application systems or reuse systems 

are considered a ground-water disposal as 

treated wastewater used to irrigate is generally 

intended to filter down through the soil.

H

Hydroelectric-power water use The use of 

water in the generation of electricity at plants 

where the turbine generators are driven by 

falling water. This is considered an instream 

use of water.

I

Industrial wastewater facility Facilities that 

produce, treat or dispose of wastewater not 

otherwise defined as a domestic wastewater; 

includes the runoff and leachate from areas 

that receive pollutants associated with 

industrial or commercial storage, handling, 

or processing (Florida Department of 

Environmental Regulation, 1991).

Industrial water use Water used for 

industrial purposes such as fabricating, 

processing, washing, and cooling, and 

includes such industries as steel, chemical 

and allied products, paper and allied products, 

mining, and petroleum refining. The water 

can be obtained from a public supply or be 

self-supplied.

Instream use Water use taking place 

within a stream channel for such purposes as 

hydroelectric power generation, navigation, 

water-quality improvement, fish and wildlife 

propagation, and recreation. Sometimes called 

non withdrawal use or in-channel use.

M

Micro irrigation Irrigation systems that 

apply water directly to, or very near, the soil 

surface, either above the ground or into the 

air, in discrete drops, continuous drops, small 

streams, mist, or sprays. These include drip 

systems, spray systems, jet systems, and 

bubbler systems. Also referred to as drip, 

low pressure or low volume irrigation. The 

efficiencies of these micro-irrigation systems 
Glossary 47

range from 75 to 95 percent (Smajstrla and 

others, 1988, 1993), however, an average of 

80 percent is commonly used for estimating 

water requirements.

Mining water use Water used for the 

extraction of minerals and liquids. Mining 

also includes water used for milling (such as 

crushing, screening, washing, and flotation), 

environmental purposes (such as dust control 

and wetland restoration or maintenance), 

material conveyance, dewatering, and 

domestic uses on the premises. Generally, 

most of the water used at a mining operation 

is self-supplied.

N

Navigational water use Water utilized 

as a means of commercial (and sometimes 

recreational) transportation. Includes water 

used to lift a vessel in a lock, or maintain a 

navigable channel level. Navigational water 

use is considered a no consumptive instream 

use of water and is generally not measured.

Net water use Water withdrawals plus 

or minus water transfers. In most counties, 

the net water use and water withdrawals are 

equal. However, in counties involved in water 

transfers (imports and exports), the net water 

use represents the actual amount of water used 

regardless of the amount of water withdrawn. 

In Florida, water transfers are mostly found 

in the public supply category. Also see water 

transfers.

Noncommunity water system A public 

water system which provides piped water for 

human consumption to at least 15 service 

connections or which serves at least 

25 individuals at least 60 days out of the year 

but which is not a community water system. 

The difference between a community water 

system and a non-community water system 

is that the former serves inhabitants whereas 

the latter serves transients or non-residents 

who otherwise do not inhabit the building 

served by the system. (Florida Department of 

Environmental Regulation, 1990).

Nontransient Noncommunity water 

system A public water system that is not a 

community water system and that regularly 

serves at least 25 of the same persons over 

a 6 month period. (Florida Department of 

Environmental Regulation, 1990).

Nonpotable water Water that is highly 

mineralized and needs some form of 

treatment before it meets standards set by 

the Florida Department of Environmental 

Protection and can be made available for 

human consumption. In Florida, chloride and 

dissolved-solids concentrations in potable 

water must be less than or equal to 250 and 

500 mg/L, respectively. Nonpotable water 

exceeds these concentrations consistently 

or periodically and is either diluted with 

fresher water or treated through a desalination 

or filtration process to meet potable-water 

standards for public supply (see desalination).

O

Once-through cooling water Water (fresh 

or saline) that is withdrawn from a river, 

stream or other water body (manmade or 

natural), or a well, that is passed through a 

steam condenser one time, and then returned 

to the river or stream or other water body 

some distance from the intake (Hughes, 

1975). Once-through cooling water is used to 

exchange the heat from the steam condensers 

to the cooler water. This method of cooling 

is commonly used in power production 

throughout Florida, and usually results in no 

consumption. 

Off stream use Water withdrawn or diverted 

from a ground- or surface-water source for 

public-water supply, industry, irrigation, 

livestock, thermoelectric power generation, 

and other uses. Sometimes called off-channel 

use or withdrawal use.

Other water use Water used in Florida for 

such purposes as heating, cooling, irrigation 

(public-supplied only), lake augmentation, 

and other nonspecific uses. The water can 

be obtained from a public supply or be 

self-supplied.

P

Per capita use The average amount of 

water used per person during a standard time 

period, generally per day. For this report, 

two per capita’s are calculated, public supply 

gross and domestic. Public supply gross 

per capita is the total public-supply water 

withdrawn divided by the total population 

served by public supply. Per capita water 

use computed in this manner includes water 

delivered for all uses of public supply water 

(domestic, commercial, industrial, public use 

and other uses). Public supply domestic per 

capita is calculated by dividing the deliveries 

to domestic use from public suppliers divided 

by the population served. Per capita computed 

in this manor represents the amount of water 
48 Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

used at a household level (both indoor and 

outdoor) because it excludes all other uses of 

public supply water (commercial, industrial, 

public use, or other uses).

Potable water Water that meets the quality 

standards set by the Florida Department of 

Environmental Protection. Potable water is 

considered safe for human consumption and is 

often referred to as drinking water. In Florida, 

chloride and dissolved-solids concentrations 

in potable water must be less than or equal to 

250 and 500 mg/L, respectively. Freshwater 

that exceeds these chloride and dissolved 

solids limits is often referred to as nonpotable 

or brackish water and is either diluted with 

fresher water or treated through a desalination 

or filtration process to meet potable-water 

standards for public supply.

Power-generation water use Water used in 

the process of the generation of electric power 

through a thermoelectric or hydroelectric 

facility. The majority of water used for this 

category is for cooling purposes (much of 

which is used for once-through cooling). 

Water is also used for boiler makeup or 

domestic purposes throughout the plant. 

Boiler makeup water and water used for 

domestic purposes are generally obtained 

from public supply, however, for plants 

located in remote areas, this water can be 

self-supplied. Cooling water is generally selfsupplied, although some smaller plants use 

public-supply water for cooling purposes.

Primary wastewater treatment First step 

in wastewater treatment where screens and 

sedimentation tanks are used to remove most 

materials that float or settle. Primary treatment 

removes about 30 percent of carbonaceous 

biochemical oxygen demand from domestic 

sewage (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1997, written commun.).

Public supply Water withdrawn by public or 

private water suppliers and delivered to users 

who do not supply their own water. Water 

suppliers provide water for a variety of uses, 

such as domestic, commercial, industrial, 

thermoelectric power (domestic and cooling 

purposes), and public water use. According 

to the Florida Department of Environmental 

Protection, any water system that serves more 

than 25 people or has 15 year-round service 

connections is considered a community 

public supplier (Florida Department of 

Environmental Regulation, 1990). For this 

report, public supply includes those systems 

that serve more than 400 people or use more 

than 10,000 gallons per day.

Public-water use Water supplied from 

a public-water supply and used for such 

purposes as firefighting, street washing, and 

municipal parks and swimming pools. Publicwater use also includes system losses during 

distribution, processing (including discharged 

from desalination or lime-softening facilities), 

or transmission between wholesalers. 

Sometimes referred to a utility use.

R

Reclaimed water Water that has received at 

least secondary treatment and is reused after 

leaving a wastewater treatment facility.

Recycled water Water that is used more 

than one time before it passes back into the 

natural hydrological system or is discharged 

into a wastewater system. Also referred to as 

recirculated water.

Resident population The number of persons 

who live in a State who consider the State 

their permanent place of residence. College 

students, military personnel, and inmates of 

penal institutions are counted as permanent 

residents. According to this definition, tourist 

and seasonal or part-time residents are 

considered nonresident population.

Residential water use See domestic water 

use.

Reuse system The deliberate application of 

reclaimed water for a beneficial or other useful 

purpose. Reuse may encompass landscape 

irrigation (such as golf courses, cemeteries, 

highway medians, parks, playgrounds, school 

yards, nurseries, and residential properties), 

agricultural irrigation (such as food and fruit 

crops, wholesale nurseries, sod farms and 

pasture grass), aesthetic uses, ground-water 

recharge, environmental enhancement of 

surface water and wetland restoration, fire 

protection, and other useful purposes.

Reverse osmosis The process of removing 

salts from water using a membrane. With 

reverse osmosis, the product water passes 

through a fine membrane that the salts are 

unable to pass through, and the salt waste 

(brine) is removed and disposed. This 

differs from electrodialysis where the salts 

are extracted from the feed water by using 

a membrane with an electrical current to 

separate the ions. During electrodialysis the 
Glossary 49

positive ions flow through one membrane, 

while the negative ions flow through a 

different membrane, leaving freshwater as the 

end product. In this report, reverse osmosis 

includes any water treated through both 

reverse osmosis and electrodialysis and any 

water diluted or blended with fresher water 

that was used to obtain potable water. Also see 

desalination.

S

Saline water Water that contains more than 

1,000 mg/L of dissolved solids.

Secondary wastewater treatment The 

second step in most domestic wastewater 

treatment systems in which bacteria consume 

the organic parts of the waste. This treatment 

removes floating and settleable solids and 

about 90 percent of the oxygen-demanding 

substances and suspended solids. Disinfection 

is the final stage of secondary treatment (U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1997, 

written commun.).

Self-supplied water Water withdrawn from 

a ground- or surface-water source by a user 

and not obtained from a public supply.

Septic tank Refers to a buried watertight 

receptacle constructed to promote the 

separation of solids, grease, and liquid 

components of wastewater in the absence of 

oxygen. The liquid fraction from the septic 

tank is discharged to a drain field for further 

treatment or disposal. In Florida, septic tanks 

are regulated by the Florida Department of 

Health.

Settling pond A holding pond for 

wastewater where heavier particles sink to the 

bottom for removal and disposal. 

Sprinkler irrigation A pressurized irrigation 

system where water is distributed through 

pipes to the field and applied through 

a variety of sprinkler heads or nozzles. 

Pressure is used to spread water droplets 

above the crop canopy to simulate a rainfall 

(Izuno and Haman, 1987). These systems 

include portable and traveling guns, solid or 

permanent fixtures (overhead or pop ups), 

center pivots, and periodic moving systems. 

Also referred to as overhead irrigation. The 

efficiencies of these sprinkler irrigation 

systems range from 15 to 85 percent 

(Smajstrla and others, 1988), however, an 

average of 70 percent is commonly used for 

estimating water requirements.

Surface-water disposal Refers to the 

release of reclaimed water or treated effluent 

directly into a surface water body (including 

marshes or wetlands). This does not include 

water discharged into ponds for holding or 

percolation purposes (Marella, 1994).

T

Tail-water runoff Unused irrigation water 

or rain water that is collected at the base 

or end of an irrigated system or field in a 

ditch or impoundment. This water may be 

reused again for irrigation purposes, be left to 

evaporate, percolate into the ground, receive 

treatment, and (or) be discharged to surfacewater bodies.

Thermoelectric power Electrical power 

generated by using fossil fuel (coal, oil, 

natural gas or biomass), geothermal, or 

nuclear energy.

Treated (wastewater) effluent Water that 

has received primary, secondary, or advanced 

treatment and is released from a wastewater 

facility after treatment.

W

Wastewater A combination of liquid and 

water-carried pollutants from residential or 

commercial buildings, industrial plants, and 

institutions. Wastewater may include any 

groundwater, surface runoff, or leachate that 

may be present in the system.

Water transfer Artificial conveyance of 

water from one area to another across a 

political or hydrological boundary. This is 

referred to as an import or export of water 

from one basin or county to another.

Water use (1) In a restrictive sense, the 

term refers to water that is actually used 

for a specific purpose such as domestic 

use, irrigation, or industrial processing. 

(2) More broadly, water use pertains to 

human’s interaction with and influence on the 

hydrologic cycle, and includes elements such 

as water withdrawals, deliveries, consumptive 

use, wastewater releases, reclaimed 

wastewater, return flow and instream use.

Withdrawal Water removed from the ground 

or diverted from a surface-water source. The 

amount of water withdrawn may not equal the 

amount of water used due to water transfers 

or the recirculation or recycling of the same 

water. For example, a power plant may use 

the same water multiple times but withdraw a 

significantly different amount.