Altogether, the Everglades ecosystem supplies the drinking water for eight million Floridians. That's one out of every three people living in the state. In South Florida, much of the water we drink comes straight from the Biscayne Aquifer, an underground river replenished by the flow of water through the Everglades.

No, you should never drink the untreated water found in the Florida Everglades. While the water appears pristine in some areas, it is a complex, slow-moving ecosystem teeming with bacteria, parasites like Giardia, and high levels of naturally occurring and agricultural runoff pollutants. Even more significantly, the Everglades has some of the highest mercury levels in the United States, which bioaccumulates in the water and the fish. Furthermore, the water is home to diverse wildlife, including alligators and venomous snakes, making it physically dangerous to approach the water's edge to collect it. If you are in a survival situation in 2026, you would need to use a high-grade chemical filter and then boil the water for several minutes, but even then, these methods do not remove heavy metals like mercury. Always carry ample bottled or treated water when exploring the park.