https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/opinion/bottled-water-is-sucking-florida-dry.html

The state’s aquifers are shrinking, yet corporations want to
appropriate even more of them.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has the largest concentration of freshwater
springs in the world, but they are being devastated by increasing pollution and
drastic declines in water flow. Some springs have dried up from overextraction;
others have shown signs of saltwater intrusion and harmful algae blooms.

At least 60 springs discharge from the Floridan aquifer into the Santa Fe River,
which runs 75 miles through north-central Florida. This aquifer is the primary
source of drinking water in the state. The state and local governments have
continued to issue water bottling extraction permits that prevent the aquifer
from recharging.

The answer to this problem is simple: No more extraction permits should be
granted, and existing permits should be reduced with the goal of eliminating
bottled water production entirely in Florida. At the very least, corporations
should be taxed for the water they now extract free of charge. That revenue can
be used to pay for water infrastructure projects.