Brackish Water Desalination in Florida: A Tale of Two Coasts, East and West

Florida leads the nation in the number of municipal potable water desalination plants with more than 140 producing more than 515 million gallons per day. Florida’s water demand is expected to grow by greater than 25% to 8.7 billion gallons per day in 2025 and brackish water desalination will be a key to meeting this expected need. Florida reverse osmosis plants are a function of aquifer location and permitting practices vary by agency due to watershed, political or other local regulatory boundaries.