St. Johns County farmers used about 12 million gallons per day less in 2018 than the previous year, according to an annual report published by the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) on Tuesday.

The report shows that 2018 water use in the district overall was 7 percent lower than in 2017 and 11 percent below the 10-year average, even though total population continued to increase in the 18 countries that encompass the district.

St. Johns River Water Management District Bureau Chief of Water Supply Planning Scott Laidlaw said much of the drop in water use in the agriculture sector in 2018 can be attributed to an increase in rainfall, just more than 3 inches, and upgrading farming irrigation and drainage systems.

Despite the big drop in water use for agriculture, St. Johns County saw an increase in per capita residential water use from 2017 to 2018. In 2017, St. Johns County residents used 70 gross per capita gallons per day. That number rose to 75 in 2018.

Laidlaw said that increase is likely tied to an increase in irrigation in growing communities around St. Johns County, which grew by more than 9,000 residents. Irrigation makes up about 50 percent of residential water use, he said.

One encouraging sign, he added, was the increased use of reclaimed water in the county. St. Johns County used about 200,000 gallons more reclaimed water in 2018 than in 2017, Laidlaw said.

"They are on the right path in St. Johns County," Laidlaw said.

Total public supply water use in 2018 in the district was 568 million gallons per day, which was approximately 2 percent lower than public water use in 2017. That includes some commercial/industrial/institutional uses that are supplied by public supply utilities, according to the report.

“We commend the efforts of agriculture, water utilities, local governments and all water users who make water conservation a year-round priority,” St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Ann Shortelle said in a released statement. “Water-saving practices are an important strategy to ensure sustainable use of Florida’s water.”

According to the Water Management District, the largest water use is public supply, which represents 58 percent of the total water use, followed by agricultural irrigation at 19 percent and commercial/industrial/institutional and mining/dewatering uses at 9 percent.

St. Johns River Water Management District includes all or part of 18 counties, encompassing 12,300 square miles in Northeast and East-Central Florida and representing more than 5 million people, about 26 percent of the state’s population.