Jacksonville Water Quality: Sources and Treatment Methods

Where Does Jacksonville’s Tap Water Come From?

With its abundant rainfall and prime location on the St. Johns River, you might think that Jacksonville’s water system relies on surface water. But in fact, Jacksonville’s tap water comes from underground — the Floridan Aquifer, around 1,000 feet below the surface and spanning 82,000 square miles, as far north as Georgia and Alabama.

JEA uses deep well turbine pumps to withdraw groundwater through over 130 wells, and treats it at a network of 39 water treatment plants. Then, it’s distributed to more than 383,000 customers through 4,600 miles of pipes on the JEA’s Major Grid.

How Safe Is Jacksonville’s Water Supply?

Despite the massive size of the Floridan Aquifer, Jacksonville’s water supply faces two main challenges. The first is over-extraction, or the withdrawal of more water from the aquifer than is naturally replenished by rainfall. This can lead to saltwater intrusion — which is when seawater gets into the aquifer, making it unsafe to drink — as well as land subsidence, or the gradual sinking of the land surface.

In fact, the 2022 Water Quality Report claims that “40-50% of the water JEA provides our customers is used outdoors, primarily for irrigation,” contributing to overuse.

Another challenge is water source contamination from fuel tanks, landfills, discharge, and runoff. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) conducted a Source Water Assessment in 2023, and determined that the Major Grid had a low to moderate risk of contamination from 121 potential sources.

How Is Jacksonville’s Drinking Water Treated?

JEA has a network of 39 water treatment plants that are used to improve the taste and quality of Jacksonville’s drinking water. Most of them use aeration to reduce the “rotten egg” smell (caused by sulfur), while two plants use ozone for the same purpose.

Like most American water systems, JEA uses chlorine as a disinfectant, which kills viruses and bacteria, but can introduce unwanted disinfection byproducts.

JEA opened the Rivertown Water Treatment Plant in 2023 to serve St. Johns County. It also operates a water purification plant and reclamation facility to replenish the aquifer with treated wastewater and reduce the stress on the water supply.

Is the Water Hard or Soft in Jacksonville, FL?

Water can be either hard or soft depending on its mineral content. These minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, aren’t harmful to drink, but they can result in an unpleasant taste and leave residue on hair, skin, sinks, and cookware.

Jacksonville’s tap water ranges from “hard” to “very hard,” but it varies by ZIP code. If you live in Jacksonville, you can check the hardness level of your tap water here.

Affected residents can use vinegar to remove scale buildup on taps and cookware, or install a water softener to reduce hardness before it comes out of your tap.

What Contaminants Are Found in Jacksonville’s Drinking Water?

Jacksonville’s drinking water is treated to meet the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.gov), which regulates water utilities across the country. Water providers must conduct regular water testing to ensure contaminants stay below safe levels, and report the results in an annual water quality report.

Although Jacksonville’s water samples meet the EPA guidelines, some organizations, such as the Environmental Working Group (EWG), recommend stricter standards to minimize the risk to public health.

The EWG found five contaminants that exceed their guidelines:

Arsenic

Arsenic is a heavy metal that’s found naturally in the environment, but poses several health concerns and dangers when ingested in large quantities. These health effects include damage to the nervous systems and vital organs like the liver and lungs.

Jacksonville’s tap water is within the legal limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb), but above the EWG’s recommendation of 0.004 ppb by 12 times:

• EPA maximum allowance: 10 ppb
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.004 ppb
• Jacksonville maximum contaminant level: 0.0475

Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

JEA is required to add chlorine to the tap water as a disinfectant, which reduces the risk of waterborne diseases like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. But this results in high levels of disinfection byproducts, which come with health concerns of their own.

One group of disinfection byproducts, trihalomethanes, is linked to cancer and harm to fetal growth. The EPA restricts total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) to 80 ppb, but the EWG has a more cautious limit, which Jacksonville’s tap water exceeds by 409 times:

• EPA maximum allowance: 80 ppb
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.15 ppb
• Jacksonville maximum contaminant level: 61.4 ppb

Haloacetic acids (HAA5)

The five haloacetic acids that make up the HAA5 group — including monochloroacetic acid and dibromoacetic — are also linked to cancer and harm to fetal growth. These disinfection byproducts must remain below 60 ppb, according to the EPA.

The tap water in Jacksonville meets the EPA’s guidelines for HAA5, but exceeds the EWG’s recommended maximum by 192 times:

• EPA maximum allowance: 60 ppb
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.1 ppb
• Jacksonville maximum contaminant level: 19.2 ppb

Haloacetic acids (HAA9)

Another way to measure haloacetic acids is as a group of nine: HAA5, plus four more. When measured this way, there’s no legal limit, but the EWG recommends less than 0.06 ppb of HAA9. Jacksonville’s water exceeds this amount by 374 times:

• EPA maximum allowance: No legal limit
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.06 ppb
• Jacksonville maximum contaminant level: 22.4 ppb

Radium

Radium is a radioactive contaminant that comes in two forms — radium-266 and -228 — and is measured in picocuries (pCi/L). Exposure to radium through drinking water is similar to getting an X-ray: small amounts are OK, but high levels of exposure increase your risk of cancer, including leukemia and bone cancer.

Jacksonville’s tap water contains 0.44 pCi/L, which is less than the legal limit, but 8.8 times higher than what the EWG recommends:

• EPA maximum allowance: 5 pCi/L
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.05 pCi/L
• Jacksonville maximum detected level: 0.44 pCi/L

How Often Is Jacksonville’s Tap Water Tested?

JEA conducts water testing on a regular basis. According to their FAQs, some tests are performed monthly, others quarterly, and some every three years. They perform testing at the Springfield Water Lab and at other locations throughout the distribution system. Watch this video to get a tour of the lab and see how water testing works.

JEA publishes the results in an annual water quality report as required by law. You can view the report online or get a printed copy at their Customer Service Center or at the Jacksonville Public Library. Email waterquality@jea.com if you have any questions.

Of course, you can always test your own tap water yourself if you want to test it more often or to check for specific contaminants.

Does Jacksonville’s Drinking Water Contain Lead?

Jacksonville’s drinking water doesn’t contain lead when it leaves the treatment plant, but like any tap water, it can pick up lead from lead pipes and service lines.

According to the EPA, Florida has “more lead pipes than any other state,” although the Florida Department of Environmental Protection disagrees and says that only “2% of the more than 3,600 public water systems required to be sampled for lead in Florida in the past three years had an exceedance of the Lead Action Level.”

If you think your home may have old lead pipes or plumbing fixtures, consider getting your water tested for lead and install an NSF 53 water filter to remove it.

Does Jacksonville’s Drinking Water Contain PFAS?

The JEA Main Grid isn’t the only water distribution system in Jacksonville. There’s also the Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, which has its own drinking water system.

According to Patch.com, NAS Jacksonville is on a list of sites contaminated with PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These “forever chemicals” are associated with multiple health concerns and are commonly found around industrial sites and military bases, where they’re used in everything from manufacturing to firefighting foam.

In 2018, NAS Jacksonville assured residents that high PFAS levels were detected in shallow groundwater wells, not in the drinking water system.

However, the EPA has introduced new PFAS regulations that require more frequent testing and monitoring, and the EWG has found PFAS contamination at many sites around the U.S. Residents may want to consider using a reverse osmosis filter to reduce any potential exposure to forever chemicals.

Does Jacksonville’s Drinking Water Have Fluoride?

Yes. JEA doesn’t add fluoride to the drinking water, but it occurs naturally in the Floridan aquifer. The EPA recommends levels of 0.7 mg/L to reduce tooth decay. Jacksonville’s fluoride levels range from 0.385 mg/L and 1.22 mg/L, which is slightly higher than the EPA’s recommendation, but lower than the legal limit of 4 mg/L.

Is It Safe to Drink the Tap Water in Jacksonville?

Jacksonville, Florida gets its water from the Floridan Aquifer, which acts as a natural filter and provides high-quality drinking water for almost 10 million people. Like most other American cities, Jacksonville’s water goes through a treatment process that includes disinfection with chlorine, which can produce unwanted chemical byproducts.

Jacksonville’s water also has high levels of calcium and magnesium, which results in hard water that is safe to drink but may have an unpleasant taste.

To improve the taste of your water and remove chemicals, install a home water filtration system like the HomeWater EZChange Under Counter Water Filter. Or, use a Salt-Free Water Conditioner to soften your water without increasing its sodium content.