MUNICIPAL WATER SOURCE: The jointly owned Citrus County and Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority's Charles A. Black Central Citrus County Wellfields and Water Treatment Facility draws water from the Northern West-Central Groundwater Basin of the Floridan Aquifer. The water undergoes chlorination for disinfection and is distributed from three interconnected treatment facilities with eight wells. The largest facility is the Charles A. Black I Treatment Plant in the Citrus Hills area.

Water sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land or underground, it dissolves natural minerals and sometimes radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal presence or human activity.

Potential contaminants in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants (viruses, bacteria) from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants (salts, metals) either naturally occurring or from urban runoff, industrial/residential wastewater, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants, either naturally occurring or from oil/gas production and mining

The EPA establishes regulations limiting contaminant levels in public water systems, while the FDA sets limits for bottled water, both providing the same public health protection. All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably contain small amounts of some contaminants, which doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk.

Certain populations may be more vulnerable to water contaminants than the general public. Immune-compromised individuals (cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, HIV/AIDS patients, elderly persons, and infants) should seek advice from healthcare providers regarding water consumption.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection completed a Source Water Assessment for the Charles A. Black system in 2017, identifying four potential contamination sources with low susceptibility levels. Assessment results are available at https://flip.dep.state.fl.us/swap/lookup or net using the PWS ID at the top of this report.

CONSERVATION: Ensuring adequate water supplies for people and nature is vital. Water conservation saves both time and money. For free water conservation brochures and community demonstration requests, call (352)527-7650.

MONITORING RESULTS: The Citrus County Department of Water Resources regularly monitors water quality to detect organic, inorganic, volatile organic, synthetic organic and radioactive contaminants according to State and Federal laws.

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