Water Service in Jacksonville: JEA Rates, Source, Watering Days and Lead Line Checks

All Jacksonville tap water from JEA is groundwater pumped from the Floridan aquifer by 139 artesian wells, treated at 39 water treatment plants and carried through more than 5,244 miles of water lines (JEA).

JEA lists 407,161 water customers and a 100% groundwater supply arranged in 2 major grids and 4 minor grids (JEA, About). The 2025 Water Quality Report says the Jacksonville wells draw from about 1,000 feet below land surface, and the water then passes through an aerator at the treatment plant to remove the sulfur odor before chlorine disinfection; two plants also use ozone for sulfide removal and taste (JEA 2025 Water Quality Report).

JEA says it delivers more than 120 million gallons of water each day and performs an average of 45,000 water tests a year across the Jacksonville system (JEA 2025 Water Quality Report). The report says hard water, high in dissolved calcium and magnesium, can leave spots on dishes and windows without presenting a health risk, and JEA publishes the total hardness for every ZIP code it serves at jea.com/hardness (JEA).

Most of Duval County, plus the northwest part of St. Johns County, draws on the JEA Major Grid, while smaller JEA systems serve the Yulee area, Mayport, and the A1A corridor from Ponte Vedra south to Vilano Beach (JEA 2025 Water Quality Report).

In Palm Valley, along the Intracoastal Waterway, a small area receives water through an interconnection with the St. Johns County Utility Department, and JEA says the grid arrangement provides backup during emergencies and routine plant maintenance shutdowns (JEA). The 2025 report's source water assessment counts 173 potential contamination sources around the Major Grid wells with a low to moderate susceptibility rating, against 2 for Mayport and 11 for the Lofton Oaks Grid, each rated low (JEA).

The JEA water footprint does not stop at the Duval County line, and JEA states there are no taxes or fees on water, sewer, or irrigation services outside of Duval County (JEA rates).

A Jacksonville household on a 5/8 inch meter pays a $13.77 water base charge each month plus tiered usage that starts at $1.50 per 1,000 gallons and rises to $7.23 above 15,000 gallons, under JEA rates effective October 1, 2026 (JEA rates).

Inside Duval County two charges ride on top of the water line: a 10% Public Service Tax on water and irrigation and a 3% Franchise Fee, which JEA does not apply to reclaimed irrigation (JEA rates). Reclaimed irrigation customers also pay an additional $6 per bill (JEA).

Worked from the Jacksonville rate table, a home using 6,000 gallons in a month pays $13.77, plus 4 kGal at $1.50, plus 2 kGal at $3.35, or $26.47 for water before the Duval tax and fee; the sewer charge is separate. The tier design means outdoor watering is where bills climb: JEA estimates that about 30% of the water it provides goes outdoors, mostly to irrigation (JEA).

New Jacksonville customers start water service through JEA, which charges a $10.00 connection fee when the start is ordered ahead or before noon for the same day and $25.00 for a same day order placed after noon (JEA fees).

JEA residential customer care answers at (904) 665-6000 or (800) 683-5542, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., for Jacksonville starts, moves and billing (JEA Contact). A cash deposit may be required; JEA pays interest on it at a rate based on the 12-month Treasury Bill Yield and may apply it to the account after 12 months of continuous service with a good JEA credit score (JEA).

Jacksonville renters and others who want to skip the deposit can use JEA MyWay, a prepaid option that JEA says requires no deposit, credit check, late fees or reconnection fees (JEA). A returning customer with an unpaid past due balance greater than $25 must agree to pay it before reactivating service (JEA). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the JEA website.

Jacksonville lawn watering days are set by the St. Johns River Water Management District, and in 2026 the District has limited landscape irrigation in its water shortage areas to one day a week (SJRWMD watering restrictions).

The District declared a water shortage in February 2026 for portions of the District including Duval County, moved to a Phase III Extreme Water Shortage in May 2026, and said in September 2026 that the Phase III declaration remains in effect within affected areas (SJRWMD, February 2026; SJRWMD, May 2026; SJRWMD, September 2026). Under it, the District's restrictions page lists Saturday for homes with odd-numbered or no addresses, Sunday for even-numbered addresses and Tuesday for nonresidential properties, with no watering between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and no more than one hour per zone (SJRWMD). The District does not name individual neighborhoods in its text, so Jacksonville residents should check its water restrictions map for their address.

Outside a water shortage, the District schedule during daylight saving time is Wednesday and Saturday for odd-numbered or no addresses, Thursday and Sunday for even-numbered addresses and Tuesday and Friday for nonresidential properties; during Eastern Standard Time it drops to Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday respectively, and watering is barred between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (SJRWMD). The rules cover private wells and pumps, ground or surface water and water from public and private utilities (SJRWMD). The JEA watering page still shows only that normal daylight saving time schedule, which differs from the District's current shortage rules (JEA watering restrictions). For reclaimed water customers JEA recommends running sprinklers between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. for no more than one hour per zone (JEA).

JEA is not a regulator: it says enforcement in Jacksonville lies with the City's Environmental Quality Division (JEA). In June 2024 JEA began an education campaign for its 28,000-plus reclaimed water customers after hot weather pushed reclaimed demand high enough to lower pressure in parts of the system (JEA).

JEA posts an address lookup map of water service line materials for Jacksonville at jea.com/lcrr, built for the federal Lead and Copper Rule Revisions inventory (JEA LCRR).

JEA asks owners of Jacksonville homes built before June 1986, when the Safe Drinking Water Act was amended to prohibit plumbing material that was not lead-free, to complete a self-verification of their line (JEA). The same JEA page's FAQ gives a different cutoff, saying homes built before June 1988 may have lead pipes, so owners of homes built between those dates should also check (JEA). For a randomly selected group, a JEA contractor digs small holes near the water meter box, which is typically at the curb, to check whether the line is lead, copper, galvanized steel or plastic, a job JEA says takes about two hours without interrupting service (JEA).

Questions about test results go to the JEA Water Quality line at 904-665-4521 (JEA 2025 Water Quality Report). Printed copies of the 2025 report are available at the JEA Downtown Customer Service Center and at every branch of the Jacksonville Public Library (JEA).

The biggest change is the JEA H2.0 Purification Center at 7599 Southside Blvd in Jacksonville, which JEA describes as a one million-gallon-per-day education and research center that will showcase purification technology with a visitor education area (JEA H2.0).

The official dates lag the project: the JEA H2.0 program page still gives an expected completion in late 2025, while the JEA One Water site says the Jacksonville center is almost ready to open and that tour scheduling will come soon (JEA H2.0; JEA One Water). As of October 15, 2026, no tour booking was posted, so the center is not yet a visitor stop.

Meters are changing too: JEA says it has installed AMI smart electric meters for 100 percent of its customers and has started upgrades and replacements of AMI smart water meters (JEA). The H2.0 program also responds to the state law JEA cites as Senate Bill 64, which targets non-beneficial surface water discharge into the St. Johns River (JEA).