May 4-May 10, 2025
We use it every day. We use it in so many ways. It’s simple. It’s basic. And we can’t live without it. It’s water. And it has its own week—Drinking Water Week (May 4-10).
It’s a time to celebrate our water systems and all those who work to provide continuous service to our community. Every day we rely on the water that comes from our faucets to drink, cook and clean, but how often do you stop to wonder how it makes it to your faucet?
Florida is home to one of the largest pristine reservoirs of fresh groundwater in the whole country, the Floridan Aquifer. Water from the aquifer is consistently high quality and is used as a source of clean drinking water. This water is replenished by rainwater and is naturally filtered as it passes through hundreds of feet of sand and rock. We’re very lucky, because the water that originates from this aquifer necessitates little treatment, keeping treatment costs low.
Toho Water Authority (Toho) operates 17 water treatment facilities throughout its service area. On a daily basis, Toho draws 51.6 million gallons of water from the aquifer to produce drinking water (also known as potable water) for our community. To help save this drinking water resource, Toho also operates nine wastewater treatment facilities that reclaim 34.4 million gallons of wastewater every day! That’s a lot of drinking water saved daily. This reclaimed water is used for irrigation and industrial purposes
Toho currently serves over 500,000 customers in St. Cloud. Kissimmee, Poinciana and unincorporated areas of Oceola, Polk and Orange counties.
Providing quality water has far reaching benefits too that we may not think of. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Many improvements in health over the last 100 years can be linked to better water quality.” While governments oversee and regulate our water sources to keep them safe, treatment and testing of the water is still a necessary step before it reaches our homes. Otherwise, we’d be leaving our health up to chance with every sip of water. It’s thanks to the meticulous work by the fine people who work in our water treatment facilities that we don’t have to worry about the water we can’t live without.
Wondering how you can make an impact in the world of water? Here are some tips for efficient use of our water resources:
- Follow your irrigation schedule
- Check for leaks and get them fixed
- Always use a hose nozzle
- Make sure your rain sensor is working
- Only run the dishwasher and washing machine on full loads
- Limit your showers to five minutes
- Turn off faucets when not in use.
Our water systems are a shared resource, making water a team sport. Be a team player and help take care of the water we count on daily!
Want to create greater impact and never forget Drinking Water Week? Join our team. Toho is always looking for professionals who want to serve the community. Visit tohowater.com/careers to learn more.
