Arsenic Contamination

Arsenic in Florida Drinking Water

Ranked by arsenic violation count · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

187

Cities Tested

187

Has Violations

100%

% Has Violations

2.9 violations

State Avg

▼ 0% vs national

vs National

343

Health Violations

Analysis

Arsenic in Florida: what the data shows

Florida has 187 cities with arsenic-related violations on record. Arsenic contamination is a federal MCL violation at levels above 10 µg/L (10 ppb). The state has 187 cities with at least one arsenic violation. Arsenic enters drinking water primarily through erosion of natural deposits, particularly in western states with arsenite-bearing geology. Industrial sources include mining runoff, glass manufacturing, and semiconductor production. Groundwater systems are significantly more likely to have arsenic issues than surface water systems. Long-term arsenic exposure above the MCL increases the risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Reverse osmosis and specialized arsenic-removal media are the most effective point-of-use treatment options.

Comparison

Cities exceeding 10 µg/L EPA MCL

Florida

100%

187 of 187 cities

← = Exactly at national rate

National avg

100%

5489 of 5489 cities

City Map

Arsenic data across Florida

Each dot is a city with arsenic violation data. Cities with at least one arsenic-related violation are highlighted. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by arsenic level in Florida

Highest Arsenic levels (violations)

All Cities

All Florida cities ranked by arsenic level

#	City	Level	Violations?	Violations	Grade
1	Plant City	31 violations	Yes	85	D
2	Ocala	27 violations	Yes	91	F
3	Tampa	23 violations	Yes	64	F
4	Mulberry	18 violations	Yes	17	F
5	Thonotosassa	18 violations	Yes	54	F
6	Winter Haven	12 violations	Yes	28	F
7	Leesburg	10 violations	Yes	49	F
8	Orlando	9 violations	Yes	78	F
9	Lutz	9 violations	Yes	30	F
10	Lakeland	8 violations	Yes	27	D
11	Lake Wales	8 violations	Yes	56	F
12	Holiday	8 violations	Yes	18	F
13	New Port Richey	7 violations	Yes	68	F
14	Kissimmee	7 violations	Yes	26	F
15	Apopka	7 violations	Yes	14	F
16	Altamonte Springs	7 violations	Yes	3	C+
17	Deland	7 violations	Yes	11	C-
18	Haines City	7 violations	Yes	17	F
19	Frostproof	7 violations	Yes	20	F
20	Jacksonville	6 violations	Yes	116	F
21	Fort Pierce	6 violations	Yes	85	F
22	Orange City	6 violations	Yes	14	C+
23	Lake City	6 violations	Yes	112	F
24	Clearwater	5 violations	Yes	14	F
25	St Cloud	5 violations	Yes	104	F
26	Davenport	5 violations	Yes	14	F
27	Ormond Beach	5 violations	Yes	43	D+
28	Avon Park	5 violations	Yes	6	C-
29	Crystal River	5 violations	Yes	10	F
30	Fruitland Park	5 violations	Yes	15	F
31	Seffner	5 violations	Yes	11	B-
32	Tallahassee	4 violations	Yes	12	F
33	Belleview	4 violations	Yes	18	F
34	Port Orange	4 violations	Yes	2	B-
35	Dundee	4 violations	Yes	16	D
36	Inglis	4 violations	Yes	1	D+
37	Sarasota	3 violations	Yes	9	C+
38	St. Augustine	3 violations	Yes	39	F
39	Sanford	3 violations	Yes	8	F
40	Bartow	3 violations	Yes	6	F
41	Inverness	3 violations	Yes	40	F
42	Land O' Lakes	3 violations	Yes	6	F
43	Lake Alfred	3 violations	Yes	6	C-
44	Fort Meade	3 violations	Yes	3	D
45	Umatilla	3 violations	Yes	3	B+
46	Crescent City	3 violations	Yes	62	D+
47	Montverde	3 violations	Yes	3	C+
48	Brandon	3 violations	Yes	5	D
49	Astatula	3 violations	Yes	6	B+
50	Micco	3 violations	Yes	82	D
51	Webster	3 violations	Yes	18	B
52	Miami	2 violations	Yes	104	F
53	Naples	2 violations	Yes	42	F
54	Brooksville	2 violations	Yes	41	F
55	Coral Springs	2 violations	Yes	17	F
56	Boynton Beach	2 violations	Yes	42	F
57	Clermont	2 violations	Yes	58	F
58	Winter Park	2 violations	Yes	6	C+
59	New Smyrna Beach	2 violations	Yes	18	B+
60	Sebring	2 violations	Yes	43	F
61	Titusville	2 violations	Yes	1	C
62	Auburndale	2 violations	Yes	5	F
63	Lake Mary	2 violations	Yes	1	B
64	Zephyrhills	2 violations	Yes	18	F
65	Ocoee	2 violations	Yes	5	C-
66	Dunnellon	2 violations	Yes	10	F
67	Lady Lake	2 violations	Yes	18	F
68	Hobe Sound	2 violations	Yes	23	F
69	Minneola	2 violations	Yes	4	B-
70	Live Oak	2 violations	Yes	23	D
71	Mims	2 violations	Yes	55	F
72	Madison	2 violations	Yes	8	D
73	Polk City	2 violations	Yes	2	C-
74	Jay	2 violations	Yes	24	B-
75	Indiantown	2 violations	Yes	65	F
76	Keystone Heights	2 violations	Yes	2	B
77	Ft. Pierce	2 violations	Yes	16	F
78	Zellwood	2 violations	Yes	2	B
79	Chiefland	2 violations	Yes	32	D+
80	Pierson	2 violations	Yes	4	B-
81	Geneva	2 violations	Yes	16	D+
82	Mayo	2 violations	Yes	40	C-
83	Babson Park	2 violations	Yes	7	C+
84	East Palatka	2 violations	Yes	16	D+
85	Silver Springs	2 violations	Yes	6	F
86	Archer	2 violations	Yes	0	A
87	Satsuma	2 violations	Yes	17	D
88	Lorida	2 violations	Yes	46	D+
89	Seville	2 violations	Yes	4	A
90	Yalaha	2 violations	Yes	1	A-
91	Lithia	1 violations	Yes	12	B-
92	Pensacola	1 violations	Yes	5	C
93	Cocoa	1 violations	Yes	1	A-
94	Gainesville	1 violations	Yes	8	B
95	Melbourne	1 violations	Yes	0	A-
96	Vero Beach	1 violations	Yes	7	D
97	Palm Bay	1 violations	Yes	8	B
98	The Villages	1 violations	Yes	1	B
99	Jensen Beach	1 violations	Yes	75	D
100	Palm Beach Gardens	1 violations	Yes	2	B
101	Daytona Beach	1 violations	Yes	5	A-
102	Plantation	1 violations	Yes	3	D+
103	Panama City	1 violations	Yes	6	B-
104	Winter Garden	1 violations	Yes	4	B
105	Milton	1 violations	Yes	19	B-
106	Quincy	1 violations	Yes	32	F
107	Punta Gorda	1 violations	Yes	101	F
108	Longwood	1 violations	Yes	9	F
109	Oviedo	1 violations	Yes	12	B-
110	Navarre	1 violations	Yes	2	B-
111	Eustis	1 violations	Yes	16	B-
112	Winter Springs	1 violations	Yes	15	B
113	Edgewater	1 violations	Yes	50	B-
114	Venice	1 violations	Yes	0	B+
115	Lecanto	1 violations	Yes	2	F
116	Immokalee	1 violations	Yes	15	B
117	Miramar Beach	1 violations	Yes	1	A-
118	Wildwood	1 violations	Yes	2	B-
119	Groveland	1 violations	Yes	2	B
120	Tavares	1 violations	Yes	11	C+
121	Okeechobee	1 violations	Yes	150	F
122	Cantonment	1 violations	Yes	5	B
123	Homosassa	1 violations	Yes	2	D
124	Arcadia	1 violations	Yes	43	F
125	Stuart	1 violations	Yes	25	F
126	Dade City	1 violations	Yes	8	F
127	Defuniak Springs	1 violations	Yes	10	B
128	Palatka	1 violations	Yes	119	F
129	Freeport	1 violations	Yes	12	B-
130	Mascotte	1 violations	Yes	0	A
131	Alachua	1 violations	Yes	6	C+
132	Ft. Walton Beach	1 violations	Yes	0	A
133	Bristol	1 violations	Yes	7	C+
134	Chattahoochee	1 violations	Yes	1	B-
135	Oakland	1 violations	Yes	1	B+
136	Baker	1 violations	Yes	2	A-
137	Raiford	1 violations	Yes	10	A+
138	Moore Haven	1 violations	Yes	33	F
139	Carrabelle	1 violations	Yes	75	B
140	Wauchula	1 violations	Yes	12	C
141	Bushnell	1 violations	Yes	22	D+
142	Belleair	1 violations	Yes	15	C
143	St George Island	1 violations	Yes	3	A-
144	Apalachicola	1 violations	Yes	43	C-
145	Westlake	1 violations	Yes	0	A-
146	Lake Panasoffkee	1 violations	Yes	2	B-
147	Bowling Green	1 violations	Yes	3	C
148	Crawfordville	1 violations	Yes	4	B-
149	Newberry	1 violations	Yes	2	A-
150	Chuluota	1 violations	Yes	18	A-
151	Sneads	1 violations	Yes	1	A-
152	San Antonio	1 violations	Yes	15	D
153	Melbourne Beach	1 violations	Yes	14	D+
154	Bonifay	1 violations	Yes	3	C-
155	Palm Harbor	1 violations	Yes	2	C
156	Astor	1 violations	Yes	9	B
157	Eagle Lake	1 violations	Yes	7	B-
158	Eatonville	1 violations	Yes	10	C-
159	Lake Helen	1 violations	Yes	1	A-
160	Steinhatchee	1 violations	Yes	43	B
161	Cross City	1 violations	Yes	81	C-
162	Howey In The Hills	1 violations	Yes	8	D+
163	Nalcrest	1 violations	Yes	3	B
164	Lake Hamilton	1 violations	Yes	28	B
165	Grand Island	1 violations	Yes	4	B-
166	Old Town	1 violations	Yes	34	B
167	Interlachen	1 violations	Yes	7	D+
168	Palm City	1 violations	Yes	1	C
169	Wesley Chapel	1 violations	Yes	1	B-
170	Waldo	1 violations	Yes	4	A-
171	Fanning Springs	1 violations	Yes	0	A
172	Melrose	1 violations	Yes	0	A
173	Grand Ridge	1 violations	Yes	4	A-
174	Penney Farms	1 violations	Yes	5	B
175	Jennings	1 violations	Yes	2	C+
176	Ponce De Leon	1 violations	Yes	1	A
177	Altha	1 violations	Yes	1	A
178	Branford	1 violations	Yes	4	A-
179	Greenville	1 violations	Yes	1	B-
180	Wahneta	1 violations	Yes	0	A
181	Yankeetown	1 violations	Yes	32	B
182	Greenwood	1 violations	Yes	0	A
183	Indian Lake Estates	1 violations	Yes	2	B+
184	Fruit Cove	1 violations	Yes	1	A-
185	Wimauma	1 violations	Yes	8	B+
186	Micanopy	1 violations	Yes	21	B+
187	Wellborn	1 violations	Yes	3	A-

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about arsenic in Florida

Is arsenic in Florida tap water a concern?

Yes — 187 cities in Florida have arsenic-related violations on record. The EPA MCL for arsenic is 10 µg/L. Even at levels below the MCL, long-term arsenic exposure has been linked to cancer and cardiovascular disease.

How can I remove arsenic from my drinking water in Florida?

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are the most effective at removing arsenic, typically reducing it by 90% or more. Specialized arsenic-removal media (such as iron-based adsorption filters) are also highly effective. Standard carbon filters and pitcher filters do NOT effectively remove arsenic. If your water comes from a private well, have it tested for arsenic.

Where does arsenic in Florida water come from?

Arsenic enters drinking water primarily through natural erosion of arsenic-bearing rock formations. It is most common in groundwater systems in the western United States, parts of the Midwest, and New England. Industrial sources include mining, smelting, and agricultural pesticide residues. Groundwater sources are far more likely to contain arsenic than surface water.

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