JEA: ‘Your drinking water is safe'

The utility company said it conducts more than 50,000 yearly

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Environmental Working Group, conducted 7,000 tests on drinking water in Jacksonville between 2004 to 2008 and the group found nearly 12 chemicals that "exceed health guidelines" and 23 pollutants.

Essentially, the group rated Jacksonville's metro area water supply as being the 10th worst in the country.

Environmental researchers at the University of West Florida looked at the study and contends it did "not present a valid scientific assessment of water toxicity nor are its comparisons of utility systems statistically valid."

The report also stated, "It was an effective political campaign to raise public awareness for the issue of unregulated chemicals in drinking water, but was done at the expense of public confidence."

The study was released back in 2009 and seems to be resurfacing because of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, but JEA says the study is unfounded and not true.

Gerri Boyce, a JEA spokeswoman, said it's causing unnecessary concern.

"First and foremost your drinking water is safe," Boyce said. “When JEA took over the water system in 1997, we invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the system to update it. We are very fortunate to have a good stable resource. A good distribution system and then we have a very good method of checks and balances."

The source is the Florida Aquifer, nearly 1,000 feet below ground.

“JEA is highly regulated, we do more than 50,000 tests a year,” Boyce said. “We are required to do this and we are very fortunate here because our water source is the Floridian aquifer.”

Jimmy Orth, the Executive Director of the St. Johns Water Keeper said it's a good, clean source of water, a much different scenario than Flint, Michigan, where they switched water sources. When that happened, aging lead pipes reacted badly with the new water source causing major issues.

Orth said while this isn’t a problem in Jacksonville, it's a good reminder to check up on government agencies and hold them accountable.

“It's a warning call for all of us that we should be paying attention to the quality of our drinking supply, but also that we should be paying attention to our government agencies and holding them accountable,” Orth said. “Making sure that there is a government oversight, that they are enforcing the law and that they are looking out for the best interest of our citizens."

JEA releases a yearly water quality report that is published on its website, you can view the report here.

JEA said if you ever have concerns about your water, you can call officials as wells as JEA will come out and test your water as a precautionary measure. ​