Is Delray Beach, FL tap water safe?
Supplied by Delray Beach Public Water System · serves 69,754 people (22,589 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID FL4500351
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Delray Beach gets its water from Delray Beach Public Water System. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Sunshine Meadows Water System (60 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit8 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level3.7 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 2025. 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 Delray Beach Public Water System'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 (561) 243-7000. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Apr 2023 to Oct 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 | – |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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 | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | – |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | – |
29 PFAS tested, 8 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 2 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.7 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 7 ppb (Jun 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 3.7 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 5 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 1 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 4 ppb |
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 5 ppb |
| Jul 2018 – Dec 2018 | 5 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
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: 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 | 1 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.24 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.22 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 350 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.8 ppb | 40 ppb |
Where it serves
Delray Beach
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 33444, 33445, 33483, 33484
Nearby utilities
- Boynton Beach Public Water System Boynton Beach · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- Boca Raton Water Treatment Plant Boca Raton · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lantana Water Treatment Plant Lantana · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Atlantis Atlantis · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Deerfield Beach Deerfield Beach · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lake Worth Beach Utilities Lake Worth Beach · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Delray Beach tap water safe to drink?
Most of Delray Beach gets its water from Delray Beach Public Water System. Delray Beach Public Water System 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 Delray Beach water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Delray Beach Public Water System found 8 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Delray Beach water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Delray Beach Public Water System is 3.7 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. 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 FL4500351: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID FL4500351).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Delray Beach Public Water System at (561) 243-7000, 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.