Bradford County residents and property owners are now subject to mandatory water use restrictions under declarations issued by two separate water management districts, as North Florida's drought conditions have deteriorated to the point that state officials are using the word extreme across the board.

The Suwannee River Water Management District declared a Phase II Water Shortage on March 10, escalating from a voluntary advisory it issued in January. Separately, the St. Johns River Water Management District declared a Phase I Moderate Water Shortage covering portions of Bradford County in February. Bradford County sits in the overlap zone between the two districts, meaning different parts of the county fall under different jurisdictions, but all of it is now under some level of restriction.

How Bad Is the Drought

The numbers are stark. The Suwannee River district received an average of just 1.68 inches of rainfall in February, roughly 55 percent below the historical average of 3.77 inches going back to 1932. The 12-month rainfall deficit through the end of February stands at 15.37 inches districtwide,and that number is growing, not shrinking. It was 14.78 inches at the end of January.

Aquifer levels across the district are sitting around the 20th percentile, meaning water tables are lower than they have been 80 percent of the time on record. River flows are below average throughout the region. As of early March, the U.S. Drought Monitor classified all counties in the Suwannee district as being in extreme drought conditions the second most severe category in the federal classification system.

The St. Johns district found similar conditions in its review, with Bradford, Alachua, Baker, Duval, and Marion counties all receiving less than 40 inches of rain over the past year, and some groundwater monitoring locations at or below the 15th percentile.

What Residents Are Required to Do

Under the Phase II declaration from the Suwannee district, landscape irrigation is limited to one day per week consistent with the winter watering schedule. Fertilizer or pesticide watering-in is limited to the minimum necessary. Homeowners associations are prohibited from requiring residents to increase water use to meet aesthetic standards for lawns or landscaping. Pressure washing is limited to low-volume methods, and washing down driveways, sidewalks, or streets is prohibited.

The Phase I declaration from the St. Johns district covering portions of Bradford County is currently voluntary, encouraging maximum conservation and prohibiting wasteful or unnecessary water use. However, district officials have indicated they are prepared to escalate to mandatory restrictions if conditions do not improve.

Both districts have stated that a drought-ending rain event in the near term is unlikely based on current forecasts, and that conditions may intensify before they improve. The Suwannee district's Phase II order runs through July 31, 2026 unless modified.

A Deeper Problem: Jacksonville Wants to Pump Water Into Bradford County

The drought has intensified an already contentious debate over a proposal called Water First North Florida, a plan that would pipe 40 million gallons per day of treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Floridan Aquifer with Bradford County listed as one of the potential injection sites along with Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, and Union counties.

Proponents argue the plan would help recharge an aquifer that is being drawn down by rapid population growth in Northeast Florida. Critics say it would introduce treated wastewater into the same aquifer that supplies drinking water for rural North Florida communities, and that the real solution is for Jacksonville to develop its own water sources rather than using the region as a water bank.

A task force representing a dozen counties in the Suwannee River basin passed a formal resolution today, March 18, opposing the Water First North Florida project and calling on state agencies and the legislature to pursue desalination instead. The resolution specifically names Bradford County as one of the areas that would be affected by the injection sites and calls on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and both water management districts to re-evaluate the proposal.

A separate op-ed published in the Lake City Reporter by licensed geologist Dennis Price raised the issue of why Jacksonville should not simply draw drinking water from the St. Johns River as other large cities do from their own rivers rather than continuing to pull from the Floridan Aquifer shared by rural North Florida. Price noted that the geology of Bradford and surrounding northern counties limits natural aquifer recharge to roughly 8 inches per year, compared to 50 inches per year in areas further south, making the aquifer here particularly vulnerable to drawdown.

How Bradford County Got Here

The drought did not develop overnight. The Suwannee district noted that 14 of its 15 counties had a rainfall deficit of roughly 11.5 inches as far back as December 2025, and issued its first advisory in January when forecasts showed no near-term relief. The district considered escalating to a severe shortage declaration in February but held off. By early March, with aquifer levels still declining and spring typically a higher water-use season approaching, the board moved to Phase II.

For Bradford County specifically, the drought compounds existing pressures on water resources. Agriculture is a significant part of the local economy, and irrigation demand increases just as surface water and groundwater levels hit their lowest points. The situation is not expected to improve until the region's summer rainy season arrives, and even then recovery depends on whether rainfall returns to normal or continues running below average.

Bradford County News will continue to monitor drought conditions and water shortage declarations as the situation develops.