It is a legislative intent that the state-owned submerged 

 lands in the areas which have exceptional biological, aesthe- 

 tic and scientific value hereinafter described ... shall be 

 set aside forever as aquatic preserves or santuaries for the 

 benefit of future generations (Ch. 258, Florida Statutes). 



Waste disposal, dredging, and filling are severely curtailed in aquatic 

 preserves. Seven such aquatic preserves are located in Northwest Florida. 



Outstanding Florida Resource Waters 



The Department of Environmental Regulation (DER) under its water quality 

 designation authority set aside certain bodies of water and segments of other 

 bodies for special protection and entitled this specific designation as an 

 "Outstanding Florida Resource Water." This designation is declared under the 

 provisions of Ch. 17-3, Florida Administrative Code (FAC). Under this desig- 

 nation, certain bodies of water, because of their unique ecological charac- 

 teristics and value, are to retain their essential pristine state in the 

 future. No significant further degradation of those bodies of water are 

 authorized. Within the region a large number of water bodies have received 

 this special classification. A complete list is available in Ch. 17-3, FAC. 



Class I Drinking Water 



Federal and State Standards . The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 

 instructs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish regula- 

 tions for safe water for human consumption (PL 93-523). The State of Florida 

 has taken the Federal guidelines and incorporated them into the Class I water 

 quality criteria. These standards set forth the minimum criteria required for 

 safe levels for both surface (Class lA) and ground (Class IB) sources of pot- 

 able water. Northwest Florida has an abundance of high quality potable water. 

 A Class IB underground source of drinking water is an aquifer or part of an 

 aquifer that supplies water suitable for drinking, and contains less than 

 10,000 mg/1 of total dissolved solids. Approximately 92% of the State resi- 

 dents depend upon Florida's aquifers for a source of potable water. In North- 

 west Florida citizens are largely dependent on the Floridian aquifer (the 

 State's largest) and shallow sand-and-gravel aquifers. Part C of the Federal 

 Safe Drinking Water (PL 93-523) establishes guidelines for State programs to 

 protect present and future sources. Florida's extensive aquifer network sup- 

 plies drinking water with 250 mg/1 or less total dissolved solids. 



Several potential pollution sources could adversely affect Florida's pot- 

 able groundwater. These sources of contamination include municipal and indus- 

 trial discharges as well as surface water, impoundments, and solid waste dis- 

 posal sites (Figure 3). 



To protect Florida's valuable groundwater resources, a series of regula- 

 tory programs has been enacted. The most significant is an underground injec- 

 tion control program. This program is designed to ensure that injected fluids 

 from Florida's 6,858 injection wells stay in the intended injection zone and 

 do not migrate into drinking water supplies (Figure 4). 



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