We Have One of the Purest Water Supplies in the Nation
The Murphree Water Treatment Plant treats and supplies water to all of Gainesville. We're fortunate in Gainesville to be able to tap into the Floridan Aquifer for our water supply. It is some of the purest water found anywhere in the country — the quality of water from our Murphree Water Treatment Facility meets all state and federal standards.
The Murphree Water Plant was recognized by the American Water Works Association as the "Best Water Treatment Plant in Florida" in 2017 and has been named numerous times as the "Best Operated Plant" by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation.
Water Quality
GRU takes great care to ensure that our water remains safe and available on demand for approximately 200,000 residents. Gainesville's water consumption is about 23 million gallons a day on average, but to handle the extra demand placed on the system by drought conditions, we have constructed additional supply wells (for a total of 15 wells) — allowing us to pump and deliver up to 54 million gallons of high-quality drinking water per day. Our consumptive use permit allows us to provide our customers with up to 30 million gallons per day of high-quality drinking water. GRU delivers approximately 8 billion gallons of drinking water to our community every year.
- Minimal treatment of the water drawn from the Floridan Aquifer is required. Nevertheless, it is closely monitored throughout the multi-step treatment and distribution processes.
- Personnel from our Murphree Water Treatment Plant test the drinking water on an hourly basis and conduct additional testing throughout the distribution system. Over 63,900 samples are analyzed each year.
- Although a virtually impermeable layer of clay protects the aquifer in this area, GRU purchased and maintains a conservation easement for 7100 acres surrounding our water plant. This in order to protect the aquifer against possible contamination.
Water Chemistry
In case you are curious, here are answers to some of the most common water chemistry questions we receive from home brewers and aquaculture enthusiasts. You can learn more about GRU's water quality data in our annual Water Quality Report.
- Hardness: Approximately 140 mg/L as CaCO3 (8.2 grains/gal)
- pH: 8.6
- Sulfate: 97.4 mg/L
- Chloride: 26.3 mg/L
- Ammonia: 0.24 mg/L
Click here to view frequently asked questions about water quality.
Water Resources
Supplying Future Needs
Saving water is an important part of ensuring an adequate supply of safe drinking water for future generations. Our efforts include:
Request a Tour
GRU offers guided tours of its utility plants, including the Murphree Water Treatment Plant.
A tour of the facility gives you insight into the working of a water treatment plant. The tour is flexible and can be easily adapted to fit the education and level of interest of the group
Group tours of the water treatment plant are available free of charge (depending on staff availability and construction schedules) Please allow a minimum of 1 hour for the tour.
For more information, visit the Facility Tours and Speakers page.
Review tour requirements
*Tours are available Tuesdays through Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
* The tour request form must be submitted a minimum of 2 weeks in advance of the proposed tour date.
* Tours take place outside and in an industrial setting; all visitors must dress appropriately and wear long pants and closed-toed shoes..
* The maximum number of participants per group is 15. There is a maximum of two tours allowed per day.
*The person who requests the tour must be present for the tour(s)
To arrange a facility tour, please complete the online request form.