Drinking Water

Water Systems

The Northwest Florida Water Management District permits the drilling of all wells in Jackson County. The Florida Department of Health in Jackson County Environmental Health Section permits Limited Use Public Water Systems (LUPWS) serving a variety of facilities. Such facilities would include small businesses, family day care providers, small mobile home and R.V. parks, duplexes and triplexes, etc. LUPWS's are classified as Community and Commercial. Systems can also be classified as Registered LU Commercial if certain criteria apply. 

Annual permits are issued, and annual inspections (excluding Registered LU Commercial) are conducted at these systems.

Reviews are made of required bacteriological and chemical analysis for compliance.

For more information, visit the Florida Department of Health Water Systems webpage. 

Delineated Contamination Areas

The Delineated Contamination Areas Program is a cooperative effort between state agencies under the overall supervision of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The rules are included in Chapter 62-524, Florida Administrative Code. The DEP has the responsibility of identifying, or delineating, areas of groundwater contamination.

Where available, all new dwellings and establishments constructed within the delineated areas must connect to a public water supply. However, if such is not available, a permit must be obtained for the construction of a water supply well to serve the residence or establishment. Stricter construction standards are required by the water management district to minimize potential contamination. The county health departments are responsible for the sampling and clearance of potable water wells constructed in these areas.

Well Surveillance Program

The Well Surveillance Program protects public health by monitoring and identifying threats to the drinking water supply, ensuring that contaminated sites posing the greatest risk get cleaned up first, and preventing long-term consumption of contaminated drinking water.

Drinking water wells are vulnerable to contamination by industrial chemicals, petroleum, or agricultural chemicals. Well owners are typically not responsible for the contamination and may be unaware of the dangers. In 1984, the State of Florida created what is now the Well Surveillance Program to ensure that potentially contaminated wells are located and tested. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Health (DOH) both have responsibility for program. Field sampling and surveys are carried out by county health department personnel.

Well Surveys/Sampling

The two main activities of the Well Surveillance Program are well surveys and sampling. Surveys are typically requested by the DEP as part of their cleanup responsibilities. Department personnel search for drinking water wells around areas of known or suspected contamination. These surveys help the DEP to manage and prioritize the cleanup of contaminated sites. Sites that pose the greatest risk to both drinking water and the environment are the first to be handled.

Many of the wells located during these surveys are sampled for chemical contamination. Other wells may be sampled based on proximity to known or suspected man-made chemical sources. Since 2005, the Well Surveillance program has surveyed over 19,000 sites and sampled nearly 48,000 wells. Over 4,400 of those wells had chemical concentrations greater than state and/or federal drinking water standards. Private and other small wells with chemical concentrations greater than federal and/or state standards are offered assistance from the DEP’s Water Supply Restoration Funding Program. Such wells are usually either provided with a filter to treat the contaminant or connected to a central water his prevents long-term consumption of contaminated drinking water.