Frequently Asked Questions about JEA's Water

A small amount of chlorine is added to our drinking water for disinfection purposes, as required by law. 

Municipal water supplies often need to be treated in some way in order to be used in aquariums, e.g., pH adjustment, chlorine neutralization, etc. 

Calcium and magnesium - both elements that are beneficial to human health, but cause hardness in water.
Learn more about hard water

JEA water is as good, if not better, in every respect as bottled water.

Locally bottled water comes from the same source, in most cases, as JEA water, the Floridan aquifer.

River water is categorized as surface water and must undergo extensive treatment in order to bring it up to acceptable standards, and would therefore be more costly for our customers.

Reuse water is the highly treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants. We do have reuse water, we call it reclaimed, but it is not potable and cannot be consumed by humans. It is used for irrigation purposes in order to preserve the aquifer for drinking water.  
Learn more about reclaimed water

JEA is regulated by several governmental agencies, namely the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the Duval County Health Department (DCHD), and the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD).

JEA’s water supply is required to be tested every three years for most chemical parameters, but some are required to be tested on a quarterly basis. Bacteria is sampled and chlorine is checked every month from close to 300 locations in our service area.

The chemical samples are collected at the point of entry into the distribution system. The bacteria, lead and copper, and disinfection by-product samples are collected out in the system.

Samples are collected by JEA personnel and analyzed by either the JEA Lab or an outside lab if JEA is not certified for the required parameters. 

There are trace amounts of both metals naturally present in the groundwater, but most lead and copper in customers’ homes comes from internal plumbing. 

Because of the risk of cross connection, certain water service connections are required by state and local regulations to have a backflow preventer, and to have it tested regularly.  Backflow preventers are owned and maintained by customers, not the utility.

Backflow preventers are mechanical devices that fail over time.  Tests are required to determine if the devices are functioning properly.  Residential backflow preventers must be tested once every two years.  Non-residential backflow preventers must be tested annually.

All non-residential services must be protected by a backflow preventer.  Any residential water customers that have in-ground irrigation systems or auxiliary source(s) of water (reclaimed water, well water, pond water) are required to have a backflow preventer.  Every year we notify more people about the requirements to maintain their backflow preventers.  As more and more service connections are protected our water supply becomes safer and more reliable.

Please call (904) 665-6000 for the most up-to-date pricing information.

Please visit our page about the Backflow Prevention and checkups

Please email the Water and Sewer Service Counter at waterpreservice@jea.com or call (904) 665-5260 for information on availability, connection fees, and applicable costs. You can also visit our Water and Wastewater Development page for more information.