Water is an essential life force. In Florida, water is an abundant resource from wetlands, lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, and underground aquifers. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), 18.5% of Florida's area is water, 11 million acres of wetlands are present in Florida, and the Floridan Aquifer system supplies drinking water to nearly 10 million people.
Florida is said to have one of "the worst drinking water quality in the country" (Winfield, 2023). The water in Central Florida is known to be contaminated by 3 main substances: 1) Agricultural Chemicals - researchers found crops are not safe as water quality does not follow water safety benchmarks, chemicals and environment encourage harmful pathogen growth. 2) Perfluorinated substances (PFAS) - "Forever Chemicals" that enter water through industrial waste discharges, runoff from military bases and airports (firefighting foam), leaching from landfills, poorly regulated wastewater systems. PFAS connected to certain cancers (kidney, testicular), liver damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, hormonal disruptions, reduced fertility, developmental issues in children, weakened immune responses. 3) Heavy Metal Deposits - Copper (from old plumbing pipes), Lead (from plumbing pipes and mining activities), Arsenic (mining activities, industrial waste, erosion of natural deposits), Hexavalent Chromium (phosphate mining and industrial waste). Health risks: damage to respiratory tract, various types of cancers, reproductive issues in males.