City of Tampa Water Department water quality
Tampa, FL · serves 733,886 people (143,661 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID FL6290327
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Tampa Bay Water Reg. Surface Water Plant, Tampa Bay Water Morris Bridge Pump Stati. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
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 limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 5.68 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1.5 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.
- 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Tampa Water Department's water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (813) 231-1395.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Jan 2023 to Sep 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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.25 ppt 56% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.68 ppt 1.42× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 2.95 ppt 30% 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 | 0.3 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 5.4 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 4.55 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.6 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 6.55 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 0.97 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: The Tampa Water Department says it selected Suspended Ion Exchange (SIX) technology to help meet federal PFAS regulations and is planning construction of a SIX treatment facility in the coming years.
Source: PFAS | City of Tampa, 2026-04-29. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 72% of the Florida systems EPA tested.
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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.5 ppb lead (Jul 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2.4 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 0.7 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 1.8 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2011 | 0.2 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2008 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Jun 2007 | 0.9 ppb |
| Jul 2006 – Dec 2006 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 1999 | 4 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Tampa Water Department publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
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
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 | 1.1 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.27 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.11 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 0.26 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 33602, 33603, 33604, 33605, 33607, 33609, 33610, 33611, 33612, 33613, 33616, 33619, 33621, 33629, 33647
Nearby utilities
- Fgua / Macdill Water System Tampa · same area · PFAS above limit
- Hillsborough County Water Resources – Northwest Utilities Tampa · same area
- Hillsborough County Water Resources – Seaboard Utilities Tampa · same area · PFAS above limit
- University of South Florida Water System Tampa · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of Temple Terrace Utility Temple Terrace · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- Hillsborough County Water Resources – South-Central Riverview · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is City of Tampa Water Department water safe to drink?
City of Tampa Water Department has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 City of Tampa Water Department water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Tampa Water Department found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 5.68 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in City of Tampa Water Department water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Tampa Water Department is 1.5 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 FL6290327: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID FL6290327).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Tampa Water Department's water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (813) 231-1395.
- City of Tampa Water Department 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.