Overview
PFOS is one of thousands of PFAS, man-made 'forever chemicals' once common in nonstick, waterproof, and stain-resistant products. They break down very slowly. EPA finalized a new limit in 2024 that utilities must meet by 2029.
In Florida, PFOS was found in 150 community water systems serving about 10,771,319 people. 146 of those readings were above the federal legal limit, together serving 10,608,036 people.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at Orangewood Water System in Pasco County, at 2020% of it.
Where it comes from: Industrial discharge; firefighting foam; consumer products.
The standards
Legal limit (MCL)
4 ppt
Enforceable. A utility must stay at or under this.
Federal health goal (MCLG)
Not set
Health-based, not enforceable. Often lower than the limit, sometimes zero.
California public health goal
1 ppt
California OEHHA PHG (2024).
Health effects the EPA associates with it: Effects on cholesterol, the liver, the immune system, and thyroid. May increase the risk of certain cancers.
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
Granular activated carbon, anion exchange resin, or reverse osmosis, certified to NSF/ANSI P473 or 53 for PFOA and PFOS. Media exhausts and must be replaced on schedule. Boiling concentrates PFAS rather than removing it.
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
CountySystemsOver limit
Broward County1,431,640 people served2019Miami-Dade County3,201,451 people served1616Palm Beach County1,056,424 people served1111Lake County186,855 people served1010Pasco County315,472 people served88Hillsborough County1,316,902 people served77Marion County200,734 people served77Orange County378,901 people served66Escambia County300,484 people served55Polk County181,443 people served55Volusia County164,386 people served55Sumter County102,385 people served55Brevard County196,203 people served44Pinellas County149,174 people served33Collier County139,668 people served33Seminole County118,424 people served33Highlands County68,953 people served33Santa Rosa County65,099 people served33Citrus County47,984 people served33Lee County321,351 people served32Leon County211,875 people served22Hernando County143,837 people served22St. Lucie County61,954 people served22Martin County44,591 people served32Charlotte County169,836 people served11Sarasota County60,207 people served11Osceola County40,330 people served11Indian River County37,308 people served11Wakulla County12,290 people served11DeSoto County8,942 people served11Jackson County8,227 people served11Taylor County7,281 people served11Alachua County5,795 people served11Desoto County2,670 people served11Walton County12,243 people served1NoneHighest reported levels
Water systemReadingOf limit
Orangewood Water SystemHoliday · Pasco County80.8 ppt2020%Lake Panasoffkee Water Assn 2wpsLake Panasoffkee · Sumter County53 ppt1325%Fkaa J. Robert Dean W.t.p.Florida City · Miami-Dade County50.3 ppt1258%North Miami, City ofNorth Miami · Miami-Dade County45 ppt1125%North Bay Village, City ofNorth Bay Village · Miami-Dade County43.3 ppt1083%Bal Harbour VillageBal Harbour · Miami-Dade County42 ppt1050%Ocala, City ofOcala · Marion County39 ppt975%Palm Springs, Village ofPalm Springs · Palm Beach County39 ppt975%MDWASA/Rex UtilitiesMiami · Miami-Dade County37.4 ppt935%Lauderhill, City ofLauderhill · Broward County37 ppt925%Tarpon Springs Water SystemTarpon Springs · Pinellas County36.9 ppt923%Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA)Pensacola · Escambia County35.7 ppt893%Lantana Water Treatment PlantLantana · Palm Beach County35.7 ppt893%Pembroke Pines, City ofPembroke Pines · Broward County34.7 ppt868%MDWASA - Main SystemMiami · Miami-Dade County33 ppt825%Lady Lake Central - WPS 1,2,3Lady Lake · Lake County32.4 ppt810%Aloha Gardens UtilitiesNew Port Richey · Pasco County31.8 ppt795%Riviera Beach Utility District, City ofRiviera Beach · Palm Beach County31 ppt775%Peoples Water Service CompanyPensacola · Escambia County31 ppt775%Moore Creek Mount Carmel UtilitiesJay · Santa Rosa County30.2 ppt755%North Lauderdale, City ofNorth Lauderdale · Broward County29 ppt725%Delray Beach Public Water SystemDelray Beach · Palm Beach County28.7 ppt718%BCWWS 2aPompano Beach · Broward County28.4 ppt710%City of MargateMargate · Broward County27.7 ppt693%Hialeah, City ofHialeah · Miami-Dade County27.6 ppt690%Know when your water changes
We will email you when new readings, violations or health goals land for your system.
Or schedule a water consultation.
Data Sources
EPA SDWISSystem identity, population, countyret. 2026
FDEPFlorida drinking-water chemical monitoringret. 2026
CCREach utility’s own annual reportret. 2026
CA OEHHACalifornia public health goals, the health-based benchmark where one is publishedret. 2026
FWROur own benchmarks, only where no government body has published one, each citing the official source it is built onret. 2026
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.
