Odor
Overview
Odor measures how noticeable the smell of the water is, often from sulfur, chlorine, or organic material.
In Florida, Odor was found in 288 community water systems serving about 2,524,828 people.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at Liberty Correctional Institution in Liberty County, at 3333% of it.
Where it comes from: Sulfur compounds; organic matter; disinfection.
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. It is a taste-and-smell measure.
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
The rotten-egg smell is hydrogen sulfide, common in Florida groundwater. Oxidation and filtration removes it, as does aeration, and carbon handles light cases. A softener does not touch it, which is the most common mismatch of equipment to problem in this state.
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 288 systems that reported Odor.
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.