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
1,713
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) 18,233,842 18,190,845 1,551 1,530
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) 18,314,986 17,145,101 1,707 1,240
Radium-226 14,675,986 14,675,986 549 549
Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium) 12,830,001 12,830,001 471 471
Arsenic (total) 12,064,710 12,064,710 688 688
Bromodichloromethane 11,673,225 11,673,225 765 765
Dibromochloromethane 11,116,078 10,592,356 756 724
Dichloroacetic acid 10,139,056 10,139,056 515 515
Radium-228 9,894,348 9,894,348 266 266
Bromoform 9,808,870 9,808,870 492 492

 
 
 
  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.

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

Arsenic (total), Cyanide, Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Endrin, Lindane, Methoxychlor, Toxaphene, Dalapon, Diquat, Endothall, Glyphosate, Oxamyl (Vydate), Simazine, Picloram, Dinoseb, Metolachlor, Carbofuran, Atrazine, Alachlor (Lasso), Heptachlor, Heptachlor epoxide, Dieldrin, 2,4-D, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), Bromomethane, 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), Ethylene dibromide (EDB), Chlordane, o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), Ethylbenzene
26 Sprawl 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
64 Industrial 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)
21 Water 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
21 Naturally 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)
16 Unregulated 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 Florida 160
  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 Type Number of Violations
Over maximum contaminant level, Average 1,492
Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule 590
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 Report 330
Failure to monitor regularly 281
Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria) 240
Follow-up and Routine Tap Sampling 238
Inadequate reporting of information to the public 220
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 Sample 15
Initial Tap Sampling for Lead and Copper 6
Public Education 4
Non-Acute maximum residual disinfectant level 1



Sources : EWG (Environmental Working Group)