According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), over 90% of Florida’s drinking water comes from groundwater. Groundwater starts as rainfall. When rain reaches the land’s surface, it can absorb chemicals on the ground like nitrates. After percolating through sandy soils, groundwater in Florida is stored in a vast limerock aquifer underground until it discharges from cracks and openings when under pressure, or is pumped out through a well. Since you can’t see, taste, or smell nitrates, the only way to know if your private well is contaminated with nitrates is by testing.

High nitrate levels have been found in springs and wells, harming the health of people and our springs.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a human health limit for nitrate in drinking water of 10.0 mg/L. This numeric standard was set to prevent Blue Baby Syndrome, where nitrates absorbed through contaminated drinking water prevent the blood from carrying oxygen and the result is death.
• The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has set an ecological health limit of nitrate for a healthy spring system at 0.35 mg/L. This numeric limit was set to indicate the level of nitrate a clear stream system can tolerate before becoming impaired.

In 2023, the Florida Springs Institute teamed up with the local nonprofit AquiferWatch to test private wells in the Suwannee River Basin. AquiferWatch is dedicated to educating Floridians and encouraging groundwater monitoring through citizen science. AquiferWatch facilitates hands-on participation in the management of Florida’s water through well testing programs, citizen scientist training, and science outreach.