Florida's Reuse Activities

Reuse has become an integral part of wastewater management, water resource management, and ecosystem management in Florida.

During the past 20 years, Florida has risen to be recognized as a national leader (along with California) in water reuse. Approximately 722 million gallons per day (mgd) of reclaimed water was reused for beneficial purposes in 2011. This represents an average per capita reuse of 38.19 gallons per day per person. Reusing 722 mgd of reclaimed water is estimated to have avoided the use of over 142 billion gallons of potable quality water while serving to add more than 81 billion gallons back to available ground water supplies.

The total reuse capacity of Florida’s domestic wastewater treatment facilities has gone from 362 mgd in 1986 to 1,618 mgd in 2011 which amounts to an increase of 347 percent! The current reuse capacity represents about 64 percent of the total permitted domestic wastewater treatment capacity in Florida.

 

Florida's Reuse

Reclaimed water from public access reuse systems was used to irrigate 311,068 residences, 546 golf courses, 998 parks, and 346 schools. Irrigation of these areas accessible to the public represented about 58 percent of the 722 mgd of reclaimed water reused.

• For a complete summary of reuse in Florida and to see how Florida compares to the rest of the United States, go to Reuse Inventory Database and Annual Report Webpage