Palm Beach County, Florida — public water systems

How does Palm Beach County compare with other Florida counties?

Palm Beach County has the 19th-most active public water systems among the 138 counties listed for active Florida systems in EPA records; among the 71 with 3 or more systems, the median has 41. Its systems report 1,590,728 people served in total, the 5th-largest county figure in the state and 7% of the statewide total. The average system here reports serving 22,405 people, about 5.2 times the Florida average of 4,345. Population figures are what each system reports; people served by more than one system, such as a wholesaler and the town that buys from it, are counted by each.

Where does Palm Beach County's drinking water come from?

By primary water source, Palm Beach County's active systems draw on groundwater (59, 83%), purchased groundwater (9, 13%), surface water (2, 2.8%) and purchased surface water (1, 1.4%). Overall, 96% rely mainly on groundwater (including purchased groundwater) and 4.2% on surface water, compared with 98% and 2.1% across Florida. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. The county's largest system, Palm Beach County Water Utilities, draws primarily on groundwater.

What kinds of water systems operate in Palm Beach County?

Palm Beach County's active systems break down as 33 community systems (46%), 12 non-transient non-community systems (17%) and 26 transient non-community systems (37%). A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. A non-transient non-community water system regularly serves at least 25 of the same people for more than six months a year, but not where they live. Schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals with their own supply are typical examples. A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. EPA lists their owner types as private (63%), local government (27%), public/private partnership (7%) and state government (1.4%).