Is Fort Lauderdale, FL tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Fort Lauderdale · serves 185,163 people (63,527 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID FL4060486
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Fort Lauderdale gets its water from City of Fort Lauderdale. Parts of the city are served by 3 smaller systems: BCWWS 3A (16,046 people), Sunrise Southwest Water System (10,750 people), Fern Crest Utilities, Inc. (3,750 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit9 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level4.9 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Fort Lauderdale's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (954) 828-7865. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested May 2023 to Nov 2023. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 0 ppt 0% of the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 0 ppt 0% of the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 0 ppt 0% of the limit |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 0 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 0 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 0 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 0 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 0 ppt |
| 6:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 0 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 9 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 4.9 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2023). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5.6 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 4.9 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 3.4 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 5.6 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 5.3 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2011 | 7.7 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2008 | 6.3 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 1999 | 9.9 ppb |
| Jan 1996 – Dec 1996 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1995 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 2.3 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 5.1 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
11 unresolved monitoring or reporting violations: E. coli, Revised Total Coliform Rule.
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 0.7 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.22 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.28 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 2.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 211 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Fort Lauderdale
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 33004, 33301, 33304, 33305, 33306, 33308, 33309, 33311, 33312, 33315, 33316, 33334
Nearby utilities
- BCWWS 3A Fort Lauderdale · same area · PFAS above limit
- Sunrise Southwest Water System Fort Lauderdale · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of Oakland Park Oakland Park · 3 mi · PFAS above limit
- BCWWS 1A Lauderdale Lakes · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Lauderhill Lauderhill · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Dania Beach Dania Beach · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Fort Lauderdale tap water safe to drink?
Most of Fort Lauderdale gets its water from City of Fort Lauderdale. City of Fort Lauderdale has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Fort Lauderdale water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Fort Lauderdale found 9 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Fort Lauderdale water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Fort Lauderdale is 4.9 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for FL4060486: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID FL4060486).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Fort Lauderdale at (954) 828-7865, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.