Foaming agents (surfactants) suggest the presence of detergents, usually from wastewater. Regulated for appearance and taste.
In Florida, Foaming Agents (surfactants) was reported by 530 community water systems serving about 1,327,347 people. Every reported reading was at or below the federal legal limit.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at Hawaiian Isles MHP in Hillsborough County, at 150000% of it.
Where it comes from: Detergents; wastewater.
Enforceable. A utility must stay at or under this.
Health-based, not enforceable. Often lower than the limit, sometimes zero.
California has not published a PHG for this substance.
Health effects the EPA associates with it: A secondary (aesthetic) standard; can indicate detergent contamination and cause foaming or a soapy taste.
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 530 systems that reported Foaming Agents (surfactants).
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.