Palm Beach County Water Utilities water quality
West Palm Beach, FL · serves 671,114 people (241,801 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID FL4504393
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 8.15 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 19 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1.4 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
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Dec 2023. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Dec 2023. What to do if you get a notice.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Palm Beach County Water Utilities's water quality report (PDF) (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (561) 493-6000.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Nov 2024 to Aug 2025. "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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 8.15 ppt 2.04× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 19 ppt 4.75× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 6.3 ppt 63% 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.63 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 5 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 2.5 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 5.75 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 7.4 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.55 ppt |
| 6:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 6.5 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: In a July 2026 presentation, the utility said three of its five water treatment plants meet the PFAS limits, while Plants 2 and 8 (averaging 10 to 20 ppt) are to be rebuilt as membrane treatment facilities to meet a 2030 deadline.
Source: Palm Beach County Water Utilities: Enhancing Water Quality, Strengthening Our Infrastructure (WTP 2 and 8 Improvements), 2026-07-16. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 92% of the Florida systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 90% of the Florida systems EPA tested.
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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.4 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2023). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 1.8 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 2.9 ppb |
| Jul 2012 – Dec 2012 | 3.2 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Jun 2012 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jul 2011 – Dec 2011 | 3.1 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Jun 2011 | 3.3 ppb |
| Jul 2009 – Dec 2009 | 4.5 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Jun 2009 | 4.4 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Jun 2008 | 9.3 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Dec 2023 | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) Resolved |
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 | 0.68 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 720 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.93 ppb | 21 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.18 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.4 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.26 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.82 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
69 ZIP codes the system reported serving
33065, 33137, 33323, 33401, 33402, 33403, 33404, 33405, 33406, 33407, 33408, 33409, 33410, 33411, 33412, 33413, 33414, 33415, 33416, 33417, 33419, 33420, 33421, 33422, 33424, 33425, 33426, 33427, 33428, 33431, 33432, 33433, 33434, 33435, 33436, 33437, 33444, 33445, 33446, 33447, 33449, 33456, 33457, 33460, 33461, 33462, 33463, 33464, 33466, 33467, 33469, 33470, 33471, 33472, 33473, 33474, 33478, 33480, 33483, 33484, 33486, 33487, 33496, 33498, 33641, 33646, 33648, 33737, 33743
Nearby utilities
- West Palm Beach Water Treatment Plant West Palm Beach · same area
- City of Riviera Beach Utility District Riviera Beach · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Seacoast Utilities Authority Palm Beach Gardens · 8 mi
- Village of Palm Springs Palm Springs · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lake Worth Beach Utilities Lake Worth Beach · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Atlantis Atlantis · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Palm Beach County Water Utilities water safe to drink?
Palm Beach County Water Utilities had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. 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 Palm Beach County Water Utilities water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Palm Beach County Water Utilities found 9 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 8.15 ppt, PFOS 19 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Palm Beach County Water Utilities water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Palm Beach County Water Utilities is 1.4 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 FL4504393: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID FL4504393).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Palm Beach County Water Utilities's water quality report (PDF): the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (561) 493-6000.
- Palm Beach County Water Utilities website
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.