POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Sustaining the local drinking water supply is a growing concern in Polk County.
Polk Regional Water Cooperative has received a total of $305 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to construct wells that will supply the county with water well into the future.
As Polk County continues to grow rapidly, the idea is to develop alternative water supplies and alleviate the strain on the upper Floridan Aquifer.
“The aquifer is projected to be unable to meet drinking water demands by 2035. Which might sound far away, but it’s really just around the corner when we’re talking about infrastructure investment,” said Wendi Wilkes, Senior Advisor for Water at EPA.
Right now, when you turn on the tap, the main source of water for most of us is the Upper Floridan Aquifer. The EPA loan will go towards drilling new super wells east of Lake Wales and in Lakeland that will penetrate two times deeper and tap into the Lower Floridan Aquifer.
“When you go to the Lower Floridan Aquifer, that water source is a mixture of seawater essentially. So, what has to happen is we go through a process called reverse osmosis which will strip all the salts out of the water and allow us to drink that water,” said Eric DeHaven, Executive Director of Polk Regional Water Cooperative.
These alternative water supply projects are expected to cost more than $650 million in total. DeHaven said the projects will ensure a sustainable water supply for the region for the next two decades.
“These projects not only do they provide water for the residents of Polk County. They also protect the existing wetlands, lakes, and streams,” he said.
Residents can start seeing water from the Lower Floridan Aquifer in their supply as soon as 2027. In the meantime, Polk County leaders say water conservation is critical.
“We have to be more prudent in our use. Make sure that we’re not wasteful. Irrigation is a big element. We have to be more cautious of that. Many of the systems have adopted a 5-star program to limit new construction to limit outdoor water use,” said George Lindsey, Polk County Board of County Commission Chairman.
