As South Florida's increasing demand for drinking water continues to grow, some water utilities have turned to the use of brackish and saline water sources. Desalination removes dissolved salts in water to make it fit for human consumption, as well as irrigation, industrial use and other purposes. Reverse osmosis and electrodialysis are the most commonly used technologies in Florida for treating saline water. Sources of saline water include brackish groundwater from the Floridan aquifer system and seawater from the ocean.
As of 2014, South Florida has 36 brackish and two seawater desalination plants operating with three brackish water plants under construction. The brackish and seawater desalination plants have the capacity to produce 269 million gallons of potable water per day.
The cost of seawater desalination is still significantly higher than traditional treatments for brackish groundwater and had been considered too expensive for widespread use in Florida. However, costs have come down as the technology has become more efficient.
With the assistance of the South Florida Water Management District's Alternative Water Supply program, the number of desalination plants in South Florida has grown 73 percent since 2005 while the amount of desalination water produced by these plants has increased 124 percent during the same period.
Please click on the following links for more information on desalination in South Florida: