Drinking water quality · 2024
· Verified
· PWSID FL6290327
What's in Tampa, FL tap water
3 contaminants in Tampa, FL's water sat at or above a federal limit, led by PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) at 1.7x the limit.
- !3 contaminants at or above a federal limit — worst is PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) at 1.7x
- !1 contaminant within 20% of a limit
- !12 of 27 core regulated contaminants reported — 15 never appear in this report
- ✓No open federal violations
+How this score is calculated
Every system starts at 100. Points come off for measured levels, for the federal violation record, and for how much of the core regulated set the utility actually reported. All three inputs are the utility's own published numbers and EPA's own records.
- −54 contaminants at or above a federal limit
- −4 contaminants within 20% of a limit
- −0 open health-based violations
- −0 open monitoring / reporting violations
- −0 health-based violations resolved in the last 5 years
- −11 core regulated contaminants never reported (12/27)
A 90–100 · B 80–89 · C 70–79 · D 60–69 · F below 60. A system reporting under a third of the core set is capped at C however clean its numbers look — a short report is not a clean bill of health.
Full grading methodology, constant for constant →What to worry about
- PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid)1.7× the federal limit6.8999999999999995 ng/L · limit 4 ng/L
Linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and immune effects; the EPA set an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion.
higher than 70% of U.S. systems
- Chloramine1.4× the federal limit0.2–5.6 mg/L · limit 4 mg/L
Holds disinfection further into the pipe network, but is regulated under the same residual-disinfectant cap as chlorine.
higher than 95% of U.S. systems
- PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid)1.1× the federal limit4.6 ng/L · limit 4 ng/L
Linked to cancer, liver damage, and immune effects; the EPA set an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion.
higher than 65% of U.S. systems
- Bromate82% of the federal limit0.905–8.16 ug/L · limit 10 ug/L
Classified as a probable human carcinogen; the EPA sets a strict maximum contaminant level.
higher than 90% of U.S. systems
+18 contaminants were measured and came in below the limitShow all
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| HAA5 | 8.7–32.45 ug/L | 60 ug/L |
| TTHM | 8.34–35.33 ug/L | 80 ug/L |
| PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid) | 4.1000000000000005 ng/L | 10 ng/L |
| Turbidity | 0.36 NTU | 1 NTU |
| Copper | 0.277 mg/L | 1.3 mg/L |
| Fluoride | 0.62 mg/L | 4 mg/L |
| Lead | 1.81 ug/L | 15 ug/L |
| Combined Radium | 0.6 pCi/L | 5 pCi/L |
| Gross Alpha | 1.6 pCi/L | 15 pCi/L |
| Nitrate | 0.3 mg/L | 10 mg/L |
| Barium | 0.013 mg/L | 2 mg/L |
| Sodium | 46 mg/L | — |
| TOC | 2.4 mg/L | — |
| PFBS | 6.4 ng/L | — |
| PFHpA | 3.9 ng/L | — |
| PFHxA | 6 ng/L | — |
| PFPeA | 8.4 ng/L | — |
| PFBA | 6.4 ng/L | — |
What this report doesn't tell you
15 of the 27 contaminants a community water system normally reports do not appear anywhere in Tampa, FL's data. Absent is not the same as absent-from-the-water — it means nobody published a number.
+Full detail: PFAS testing, water source, historical monitoring, and the federal violation record
PFAS — EPA UCMR5 (2023–2025)
2 PFAS compounds above EPA limits in Tampa, FL
The EPA finalized the first-ever federal drinking-water limits for six PFAS compounds in April 2024. These numbers come straight from EPA's UCMR5 lab dataset — every U.S. system serving more than 3,300 people tested every PFAS sample at an entry point to its distribution system. PFAS not listed below were either tested and not detected, or not yet sampled.
PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid)
● Over EPA limit (1.7×)PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid)
● Over EPA limit (1.1×)PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid)
● Below limitPFBS
● Detected (no federal limit)PFHpA
● Detected (no federal limit)PFHxA
● Detected (no federal limit)PFPeA
● Detected (no federal limit)PFBA
● Detected (no federal limit)Where your water comes from · EPA SDWIS
Tampa, FL's drinking water comes from ground water, drawn from 36 sources.
Source
- MORRIS BRIDGE · 20
- ASR · 8
- MORRIS BRIDGE SINK · 2
- BLUE SINK · 2
- + 4 more
Treatment
- DAVID L TIPPIN WATER PLANT
- MORRIS BRIDGE REPUMP STATION
Distribution
Also buys water from TAMPA BAY WATER MORRIS BRIDGE PUMP STATI, TAMPA BAY WATER REG. SURFACE WATER PLANT.
Compliance history
Federal Safe Drinking Water Act violation & enforcement records (EPA SDWIS). A violation is a regulatory determination by the state or EPA — separate from the measured levels above.