The Power of Information

National Drinking Water Database


Florida

1,743 systems serving 18,662,845 people

This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by water utilities in Florida, provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources in protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes drinking water quality for this state.



 
Chemicals
Water Utilities
Population Served
Detected Chemicals
103
1,743
18,337,674
Exceed health guidelines*
58
1,710
18,308,455
Exceed Legal Limits*
27
423
4,486,928
Unregulated chemicals detected
15
28
2,063,064
* Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

58 Contaminants Exceeding Health Based Limits

Contaminants detected in Florida drinking water above health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities

Contaminant
Population
Number of Systems
At Any Level Above Health Limits At Any Level Above Health Limits
Total haloacetic acids (HAAs)18,233,84218,190,8451,5511,530
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)18,314,98617,145,1011,7071,240
Radium-22614,675,98614,675,986549549
Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium)12,830,00112,830,001471471
Arsenic (total)12,064,71012,064,710688688
Bromodichloromethane11,673,22511,673,225765765
Dibromochloromethane11,116,07810,592,356756724
Dichloroacetic acid10,139,05610,139,056515515
Radium-2289,894,3489,894,348266266
Bromoform9,808,8709,808,870492492

Water Utilities in Florida Reporting Chemicals Exceeding Health Guidelines

Water utilities in Florida reporting chemicals exceeding health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities, include:

System
Population
Chemicals tested
Chemicals found
Chemicals exceeding
health guidelines
Emerald Coast Water Utility307,0761014521
Stuart City of - Water Plant19,000983418
Mdwasa/Rex Utilities41,500794018
City of Tallahassee188,000773718
Pcud-West142,311802717
Colonial Manor Water System2,500792617
Florida City9,4451163817
Fern Crest Utilities Inc.5,500792716
Tampa Water Department550,000842715
City of Coral Springs65,000802715
City of Dania Beach16,090792915
Corry Field-Nas20,000972915
North Port Utilities44,850852314
Pcud-South Central System78,320802514
Orangewood Water System5,937732214
Hillsborough County Water Resource Services- South Hillsborough303,000792414
Peace River Reg Water Plant3,301792414
Collier County Regional Wtp134,780792114
Seacoast Utilities Authority82,228982614
City of Pembroke Pines156,254802014

Sources of Florida Drinking Water Contaminants

The contaminants identified in Florida drinking water come from a wide variety of sources, including agriculture, industry, water treatment plants, and polluted storm runoff from urban areas.

103Total Contaminants Detected (2004 - 2008)
36Agricultural Pollutants
(pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

Nitrate, Nitrate & nitrite, Arsenic (total), Selenium (total), Nitrite, 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), Atrazine, Ethylbenzene, Dalapon, Cyanide, Simazine, Ethylene dibromide (EDB), 1,2-Dichloropropane, Metolachlor, p-Dichlorobenzene, 2,4-D, Bromomethane, Heptachlor epoxide, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), o-Dichlorobenzene, Chlordane, Alachlor (Lasso), Lindane, Picloram, Dieldrin, Dinoseb, Toxaphene, Oxamyl (Vydate), Diquat, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), Methoxychlor, Endrin, Heptachlor, Carbofuran, Glyphosate, Endothall

26Sprawl and Urban Pollutants
(road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)

Nitrate, Copper, Nitrate & nitrite, Lead (total), Arsenic (total), Tetrachloroethylene, MTBE, Nitrite, Xylenes (total), Dalapon, Cadmium (total), Antimony (total), Mercury (total inorganic), Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), Cyanide, Benzene, Trichlorofluoromethane, p-Dichlorobenzene, Di(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Di-n-butylphthalate, 2,4-D, Chlordane, Benzo[a]pyrene, Lindane, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), Glyphosate

64Industrial Pollutants

Aluminum, Arsenic (total), Chlorite, Barium (total), Cadmium (total), Chromium (total), Cyanide, Lead (total), Mercury (total inorganic), Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Antimony (total), Beryllium (total), Thallium (total), Asbestos, Lindane, Di(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Chloromethane, Chloroethane, Trichlorofluoromethane, MTBE, Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), Di-n-butylphthalate, Pentachlorophenol, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 2,2-Dichloropropane, Ethylene dibromide (EDB), Xylenes (total), Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), p-Dichlorobenzene, Vinyl chloride, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,1-Dichloroethane, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, Carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Trichloroethylene, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, Tetrachloroethylene, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Styrene, Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium), Alpha particle activity (incl. radon & uranium), Radium-226, Radium-228, Gross beta particle activity (mrem/yr), Gross beta particle & photon emitters (man-made), Tritium, Alpha particle activity, Strontium-90, Combined Uranium (pCi/L)

21Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts
(pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts)

Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Total haloacetic acids (HAAs), Chloroform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Bromoform, Dibromoacetic acid, Monochloroacetic acid, Bromochloroacetic acid, Monobromoacetic acid, Chlorite, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Cadmium (total), Chloromethane, Bromate, Vinyl chloride, Asbestos, Benzo[a]pyrene, Chloroethane

21Naturally Occurring
(naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development)

Nitrate, Copper, Nitrate & nitrite, Barium (total), Lead (total), Arsenic (total), Radium-228, Radium-226, Alpha particle activity, Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium), Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Chromium (total), Alpha particle activity (incl. radon & uranium), Aluminum, Selenium (total), Nitrite, Mercury (total inorganic), Chloromethane, Cyanide, Gross beta particle activity (mrem/yr), Gross beta particle & photon emitters (man-made)

16Unregulated Contaminants
EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for these contaminants

Lead (total), Metolachlor, Dieldrin, Chloromethane, Bromomethane, Chloroethane, Trichlorofluoromethane, MTBE, Di-n-butylphthalate, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 2,2-Dichloropropane, Bromochloroacetic acid, 1,1-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, Tritium, Strontium-90

Testing Summary for Florida

The federal government has set standards for some of the pollutants found in tap water supplies.

Contaminants reported as tested by water suppliers in Florida160
 Contaminants tested due to federal law: 110
 Contaminants tested in addition to those required by federal law: 50

Violation Summary for Florida

Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards in Florida since 2004

Violation TypeNumber of Violations
Over maximum contaminant level, Average1,492
Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule590
Failure to monitor, Routine Major (Coliform bacteria)545
Maximum contaminant level, Monthly (Coliform bacteria)402
Failure to report information to the public or state agency in the Consumer Confidence Report330
Failure to monitor regularly281
Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria)240
Follow-up and Routine Tap Sampling238
Inadequate reporting of information to the public220
Failure to monitor, Repeat Major (Coliform bacteria)112
Failure to monitor, Repeat Minor (Coliform bacteria)44
Maximum contaminant level, Acute (Coliform bacteria)18
Over maximum contaminant level, Single Sample15
Initial Tap Sampling for Lead and Copper6
Public Education4
Non-Acute maximum residual disinfectant level1