Potable Water

The Importance of Drinking Water

All of us tend to take things like drinking water for granted.  However, nothing is more fundamental to life than safe drinking water.  The protection of Florida’s drinking water is one of the State’s basic, most important priorities.  Most Floridians drink water which is pumped from the vast freshwater aquifers that lie under a large part of the state.  Only five percent of all Floridians drink water from surface water sources such as streams, natural lakes or reservoirs.

Our Drinking Water

The City of St. Cloud is supplied by groundwater pumped from 4 wells that tap the Floridan Aquifer deep (over 400 feet) below the ground surface.  Water from these 4 wells is then treated in one of the City’s 4 water treatment plants.  At the treatment plants, the water is aerated, chlorinated for disinfection purposes, and then fluoridated for dental health purposes.  On an average day, our plants frequently produce in excess of 3,000,000 gallons of water.  To review data collected regarding the quality of our drinking water, please visit the Environmental Utilities Department Section of our Document Center and look for the Annual Water Quality Report.

The water that is produced at these plants is then delivered through an underground network of water lines to your home or business.  It is important to remember that we deliver water not only for consumption, but also for irrigation and fire fighting uses.  Frequently, the capability to deliver high volumes of water governs how we design our systems.  St Cloud is proud of our water supply capabilities, which contribute to an Insurance ISO 2 Rating.  This high rating helps keep home insurance costs down as compared to locations with lower ISO ratings.

Conservation

As many people saw during the recent drought, fresh water is a precious resource.  As the population in Florida grows, we must conserve this resource in order to have it available for the future.  As cities continue to grow, their water allocations are being closely scrutinized by the water management districts.  As such, it is essential that the City of St. Cloud and our citizens focus on water conservation.  The City of St. Cloud strongly encourages all our customers to focus on water conservation.  We encourage you to review some of the information provided through this and other websites:

Ø       Links to Regulatory Agencies and Other Water/Wastewater Organizations

Ø       Water Conservation Tips

Environmental Utilities Home Page