Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in rocks and soil that can dissolve into groundwater. It can also come from industrial and agricultural activity. In Florida it is usually natural and typically found at low levels.
In Florida, Arsenic was reported by 469 community water systems serving about 2,836,512 people. 5 of those readings were above the federal legal limit, together serving 19,286 people. It was measured by 1,559 systems in all, so it was detected in 30% of the systems that tested for it.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at City of Lake City (Price Creek WTP) in Columbia County, at 180% of it.
Where it comes from: Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; industrial waste.
Enforceable. A utility must stay at or under this.
Health-based, not enforceable. Often lower than the limit, sometimes zero.
California OEHHA PHG (2004) For comparison the legal limit is 10 ppb.
Health effects the EPA associates with it: Skin damage. Circulatory problems. May increase the risk of certain cancers.
Water at or under the legal limit meets federal safety standards. A reading above a health goal is not the same as being unsafe, and health goals are set purely on health without regard to cost or treatability. Both are shown so the margin is visible either way.
Showing the 25 highest of 469 systems that reported Arsenic.
These figures describe water as delivered by each utility, not what your home’s plumbing adds after it arrives. Informational; not a substitute for testing your own tap.