Head-to-head water quality
Philadelphia, PA vs Tampa, FL
Side-by-side water quality comparison: Philadelphia (Grade B) vs Tampa (Grade F). Lead, PFAS, violations, and source-water contamination
Score breakdown
Each factor is shown as raw points (out of the maximum). Higher = better.
Factor
Philadelphia
Tampa
Better
Violations subscore / 45
37.1
0.0
Philadelphia
Lead/Copper subscore / 20
20.0
16.0
Philadelphia
Contaminant subscore / 20
8.7
6.4
Philadelphia
Compliance subscore / 10
10.0
8.0
Philadelphia
Source subscore / 5
4.0
4.0
Tie
Lead & copper at the tap
Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) 90th-percentile readings — the value that 10% of sampled homes exceed.
Factor
Philadelphia
Tampa
Better
Lead 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 15 µg/L
0.0 µg/L
0.0 µg/L
Tampa
Copper 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 1.3 mg/L
—
1.8 mg/L
Tampa
PFAS — "forever chemicals"
UCMR 5 testing, 2023–2025. Federal MCLs: PFOA + PFOS = 4 ng/L; HFPO-DA = 10 ng/L.
Factor
Philadelphia
Tampa
Better
PFAS analytes detected
8 of 30
8 of 30
Tie
PFAS exceeds federal MCL
Yes
Yes
Tie
PFAS hazard index · Sum of (max/MCL) across detected analytes; > 1 indicates exceedance
3.52
9.00
Philadelphia
Violation history
SDWA enforcement actions — fewer is better.
Factor
Philadelphia
Tampa
Better
Violations (last 5 years)
4
42
Philadelphia
Health-based violations (total)
14
64
Philadelphia
Unresolved violations
2
144
Philadelphia
Other contaminants tested
UCMR rounds 1–4 + UCMR 5 lithium. Maxima where data exists; "—" means not tested.
Factor
Philadelphia
Tampa
Better
Chromium-6 (max)
0.75 µg/L
0.26 µg/L
Tampa
HAA5 (avg)
27.54 µg/L
14.71 µg/L
Tampa
Manganese (max)
15.20 µg/L
4.70 µg/L
Tampa
Strontium (max)
215.00 µg/L
793.00 µg/L
Philadelphia
1,4-Dioxane (max)
0.23 µg/L
0.17 µg/L
Tampa
NDMA (max)
2.90 ng/L
6.70 ng/L
Philadelphia
Vanadium (max)
—
3.10 µg/L
Tampa
Chlorate (max)
503.00 µg/L
630.00 µg/L
Philadelphia
Molybdenum (max)
1.40 µg/L
2.60 µg/L
Philadelphia
Industrial proximity
Superfund National Priorities List + Toxic Release Inventory facilities within 10 miles of the city centroid.
Factor
Philadelphia
Tampa
Better
Superfund sites within 10 mi
34
9
Tampa
TRI lbs to surface water within 10 mi (2023)
248
231
Tampa
System size & source
Factor
Philadelphia
Tampa
Population served
1.6M
1.0M
—
Water source
Surface water
Surface water
—
Number of water systems
1
48
—
See the full reports
Frequently asked
Which has better water — Philadelphia or Tampa?
Philadelphia, PA scores higher (79.8 vs 34.4) on WaterVerge's 100-point methodology, earning a Grade B compared to Tampa's Grade F. The score combines violation history, lead and copper levels, contaminant testing, monitoring compliance, and source-water type.
How is the WaterVerge water quality score calculated?
The grade combines five subscores: violation history (45 pts, weighted by recency and health-based severity), lead/copper 90th-percentile vs EPA action levels (20 pts), contaminant testing including PFAS, chromium-6, HAA5, NDMA, perchlorate, and Superfund/TRI proximity (20 pts), monitoring compliance (10 pts), and water-source-type risk (5 pts). Full methodology at /about/methodology.
Where does this water quality data come from?
From the EPA's public records: the SDWIS bulk download (violations + system info), UCMR rounds 1–5 (unregulated contaminant testing including PFAS, chromium-6, HAA5, NDMA, perchlorate, vanadium, lithium), the EPA Toxic Release Inventory (industrial polluters), the Superfund National Priorities List, the USGS Powell Domestic-Well Database (private-well chemistry), and the CDC Community Water Fluoridation system. Data is refreshed quarterly.