This U.S. City Once Known For its Water Could Risk Losing it All
The town of Zephyrhills, Florida, has long been synonymous with water, since there is a bottled water company with the same name based there.
But sadly, according to a recent report released by the state of Florida, the town of Zephyrhills will likely run out of water completely within the next 20 years.
Florida’s Water Problem is Getting Worse
Florida has always seen an incredible number of annual visitors, but it seems that growing tourism as well as a 1.9% population increase in the past year is directly affecting the state’s water supply.
Many people assume that the state doesn’t have a limited water supply, which is unfortunately not the case. In fact, over 3 billion gallons of water are used in South and Central Florida every day.
What Can Florida Residents Do to Help?
It doesn’t seem as though Florida’s population will cease growing, and millions of tourists will continue to visit the state every year. So in order to combat the water issue, Florida is requesting that its residents lend a helping hand.
People can do their part by waiting for the dishwasher to be full before running it, doing full loads of laundry, taking shorter showers, and refraining from watering their lawns.
Florida Government is Making Changes to Minimize the Water Issue
As well as asking Florida residents to make changes at home, the state government is also making changes to help. These changes include searching for alternative sources of drinking water, using recycled water and aquifers, and developing a moratorium to reduce the current strain on the supply.
Water that is used for landscaping and irrigation is a real problem, so it may need to be regulated in order to ensure there is sufficient water for drinking, bathing, and other personal use.
What Will Happen to Zephyrhills: The Company and the Town
It seems that the state may have to increase “impact fees” to ensure city services have sufficient funding to ensure there will still be drinking water within the next two decades.
Which means that even if Zephyrhills can figure out a way to continue bottling enough water to keep its company afloat, it will likely cost quite a bit more in the long run.