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General Facts and Statistics about Wastewater in Florida

Wastewater Facilities and Disposal

  • There are over 4,100 active wastewater facilities regulated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Approximately 2,100 of these facilities are classified as industrial and approximately 2,000 as domestic wastewater.
  • Approximately one-third of Florida’s population uses on-site sewage treatment and disposal (septic tanks) to treat their wastewater. Permits for these systems are issued by the Florida Department of Health's county health departments under agreement with DEP and DEP's Onsite Sewage Program. The remainder of Florida's population is served by domestic wastewater facilities.

Domestic Wastewater Facts

  • There are approximately 2,000 permitted domestic wastewater facilities regulated by DEP.
  • Domestic wastewater treatment facilities permitted by DEP have a total treatment capacity of over 2.7 billion gallons per day.
  • Treated effluent and reclaimed water from these facilities is over 1.5 billion gallons per day. This includes disposal through surface water outfalls, deep aquifer injection wells, and other groundwater disposal such as percolation ponds and spray fields.
  • Florida is a national leader in water reuse. Approximately 738 million gallons per day of reclaimed water was reused for beneficial purposes in 2015. This represents about 44% of the total domestic wastewater flow in the state.
  • About 16% of the domestic wastewater treatment facilities permitted by DEP have capacities greater than 1 million gallons per day. These facilities, however, account for more than 95% of the total permitted domestic wastewater treatment capacity in the state.
  • About 60% of the domestic wastewater treatment facilities permitted by DEP have capacities less than 100,000 gallons per day. These facilities, however, account for only about 1% of the total permitted domestic wastewater treatment capacity in the state.

Industrial Wastewater Facts

  • There are approximately 2,100 permitted industrial wastewater facilities regulated by DEP.

More Facts and Statistics

  • Please see the department’s Wastewater Facility Information webpage for the most current list of domestic and industrial wastewater facilities in the state with an active permit or at some other stage of the permitting process. This list is updated monthly.
  • Didn't see the statistic you were looking for? For more information on wastewater statistics not located on this website, contact the Wastewater Compliance Evaluation Section at 245-8567.

Links to Other Facts and Statistics Sites

Last Modified:
April 20, 2022 - 10:50am

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