Data: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), EPA ECHO

ZipCheckup tracks EPA drinking-water compliance for 1,561 public water systems serving 936 ZIP codes in Florida. The state record shows 11,672 EPA violations, 643 health-based.

City Water Quality Map: Florida

Each circle represents a city. Size indicates population, color indicates water quality grade. Tap a circle for details.

A B C D F Circle size = population

Cities with Most Violations in Florida

#	City	Grade	Violations	Systems	Population
1	Fort Lauderdale		630	18	849,882	Details →
2	Pompano Beach		518	17	480,845	Details →
3	Winter Haven		328	11	117,920	Details →
4	Hollywood		319	8	465,344	Details →
5	Haines City		246	5	49,133	Details →
6	Lake Wales		208	9	41,638	Details →
7	Fort Pierce		196	7	101,720	Details →
8	Port Saint Lucie		177	7	238,962	Details →
9	Stuart		173	7	75,140	Details →
10	Lakeland		164	14	269,002	Details →

Most Common Contaminants in Florida

Contaminant	Category	Violations	ZIPs Affected	Health Risk
E. coli	Microbiological	5,198	440	No
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)	Disinfection Byproducts	2,267	576	Yes
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	Disinfection Byproducts	2,242	579	Yes
Consumer Confidence Rule	Reporting	949	419	No
Nitrate	Inorganic	799	353	Yes
Lead and Copper Rule	Treatment Technique	757	397	Yes
Lead and Copper Rule Revisions	Treatment Technique	226	93	Yes
Asbestos	Inorganic	32	30	No
Public Notice Rule	Reporting	24	23	No
Ethylene Dibromide	Organic	21	7	Yes

Water Quality Overview

Florida has 1,561 community water systems represented across 936 directly mapped ZIP records. The associated city records cover approximately 22,061,289 people. The available records contain 11,672 EPA violations, including 643 health-based violations.

Health-based violations account for 6% of all violations in Florida. These violations indicate contaminant levels that may pose direct risks to human health, as opposed to monitoring or reporting failures.

Violation Breakdown

Violation Type	Count	Percentage
Health-based	643	5.5%
Monitoring/Reporting	11,029	94.5%
Total	11,672	100%

Health-based violations are MCL, MRDL (disinfectant) and treatment-technique violations. Monitoring violations indicate failures to test or report - these do not necessarily mean unsafe water, but they mean the water was not properly verified.

Cities with Most Violations

The following cities in Florida have the highest number of EPA violations:

Violation counts are cumulative across all water systems serving each city. Higher counts may reflect larger systems with more monitoring requirements, not necessarily worse water quality.

Violation Trend Over Time

Year-by-year EPA violations recorded across all water systems in Florida:

Health-based violations have decreased from 193 in 2021 to 2 in 2026, suggesting improving compliance across Florida.

Most Common Contaminants

The following contaminants have caused the most violations across Florida water systems:

How to Check Your Water in Florida

1. Enter your ZIP code on ZipCheckup for detailed water-system data including contaminant levels and violation history; the separate Home Safety Score is a multi-source index

2. Request your CCR - every water utility must provide an annual Consumer Confidence Report

3. Get a home test - certified kits ($20-$50) or professional lab tests ($150-$400)

4. Consider filtration - NSF-certified filters can address specific contaminants found in your area

EPA Enforcement

The EPA and state regulators have taken enforcement actions against water systems in Florida. Enforcement actions range from compliance assistance to formal orders and penalties.

Data Sources

• Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
• Enforcement: EPA ECHO

Updated daily.

What are EPA violations?

Health-based violations are EPA violations of a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), a Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) or a required treatment technique - the enforceable standards designed to protect human health. Florida has 643 such violations across its water systems. Not all violations cause illness; review each violation type and duration to understand possible health implications.

Understanding water quality grades

ZipCheckup grades water systems from A to F based on EPA violation history, contaminant levels, and system compliance. Grades summarize ZipCheckup's scoring inputs; review the underlying records for specific issues. Grades are calculated per ZIP code and aggregated at the city, county, and state level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the tap water safe to drink in Florida?

Records for 1,561 community water systems mapped to ZIPs in Florida show 11,672 reported violations, including 643 health-based. Water quality varies by city and ZIP code - check your specific location for detailed results.

How many violations are on record for water systems serving Florida?

Florida has 11,672 EPA violations on record across 936 ZIP codes; 643 are classified as health-based violations. The remainder are monitoring or reporting violations.

Which city in Florida has the worst water quality?

Fort Lauderdale, FL has the most recorded EPA violations (630) among the cities with mapped water systems in Florida in our data. Check your water supplier's report and test your tap water for the most accurate picture of your local water quality.

Which city in Florida has the best water quality?

Violation records vary by water system across Florida. Check individual city reports for details.

What contaminants are found in Florida drinking water?

EPA regulates over 90 drinking-water contaminants nationally; water systems in Florida monitor those applicable to each system, which can include lead, copper, nitrate, disinfection byproducts, and bacteria. The most common violations vary by region - check your ZIP code for contaminant-specific data.