Iron
Overview
Iron is a common natural mineral, especially in groundwater and private wells. It is regulated for staining and taste, not health.
In Florida, Iron was found in 465 community water systems serving about 1,152,773 people.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at Rainbow RV Resort in Polk County, at 3000% of it.
Where it comes from: Erosion of natural deposits; corrosion of iron pipes.
The standards
Enforceable. A utility must stay at or under this.
Health-based, not enforceable. Often lower than the limit, sometimes zero.
Nobody has published a health goal for this substance, official or otherwise.
Health effects the EPA associates with it: Not a health concern. Iron causes rusty or orange staining on fixtures and laundry and a metallic taste.
The health goal is set on health alone. The legal limit is set as close to it as is technically and economically feasible, so treatment cost and available technology are written into the number a utility is measured against. A system at or under the limit is meeting the standard it is required to meet. Both numbers are shown so the distance between them is visible.
What removes it
Oxidation followed by filtration is the standard approach: aeration, chlorine or a greensand filter turns dissolved iron into particles a filter can catch. A softener handles small amounts of dissolved iron but fouls if asked to do too much. Carbon does not remove iron.
Treatment guidance describes the methods generally used for this contaminant. What your own tap actually carries depends on your plumbing and your service line as much as on the utility, which is what a test at the house tells you and an annual report cannot.
Where in Florida
Highest reported levels
Showing the 25 highest of 465 systems that reported Iron.
Data Sources
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.