Emergency Water Repair and Service Hotline, Managing Water Costs at Multi-Family Facilities, FY19 CIP Water Main Improvements Design-Build Project. First, select the state where you live, and you'll see state-level data. Still, the Sunshine State is no stranger to contaminants in the water. You may have also asked yourself if drinking spring water or purified water is really the solution. Water quality continues to be a primary concern of consumers across the nation. Consumers also may request a printed copy of the current report. Call the Utility Services at (813) 274-8811 during business hours if you have questions or concerns about a PBWN issued. 30, 2019. Over the years, the city of Clearwater has dedicated ourselves to producing drinking water that meets all state and federal standards. Current Water Quality Report                          En español. "Legal does not necessarily equal safe," Sydney Evans, a science analyst at the environmental group, told Patch. Roughly 7.5 million Florida residents were served by water treatment plants that had safe water violations. Providing clean, safe drinking water is a top priority at Tampa Bay Water. Visit the environmental group's web page to see the recommended ways to combat the specific substances in your drinking water and the risks that they pose. From April 2016 to March 2019, Pinellas County Utilities complied with health-based drinking water standards. 2019-07-05T13:36:00Z ... People drink water from a six spigot water fountain in New York City. "It's what you can do today to protect yourself, but really we want long-term permanent change, and that's going to happen at the community level.". The pH value is a measure of the corrosiveness of drinking water. See updated hardness and pH values on our water metrics page. But the environmental group cautioned that "legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.". Two contaminants exceeded health guidelines: Five contaminants exceed health guidelines: Four contaminants exceed health guidelines: Three contaminants exceed health standards: Seven contaminants exceed health guidelines: All of these materials are linked to an increased risk of cancer; cadmium may harm the kidneys. Read more on the Environmental Working Group's data sources and methodology. The organization strongly believes that everyone can help in the battle to improve tap water safety. Olga Naidenko, vice president of science investigation at the group, further explained, "Industries and companies that released PFAS into the environment and drinking water sources — should be responsible to covering such costs, as it is unfair for homeowners to be saddled with costs for pollution they did not create.". A report released Wednesday, though, found more than 270 harmful contaminants in local drinking water … Florida has lots of water and lakes, and in some places the water comes up from pure underground springs. - This page may contain external links marked by an You can also call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 to get information and ask questions about the quality and safety of drinking water. Harmful Contaminants Found In Florida Drinking Water: Study - Tampa, FL - What's legal isn't always safe when it comes to drinking water. Rising seas tell a frightening story Both Tampa and St. Petersburg rank in the top 25 U.S. cities susceptible to sea level rise by 2050. As in the past, the City of Tampa's Water Department is participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) fourth round of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR4) activities. For more local information, enter your ZIP code. Where The Environmental Working Group Gets Its Funding: The majority of the group's funding comes from private charitable foundations, here's a partial list of the organization's largest backers. We asked people from Tampa if they like their tap water. At Water Boy, we deliver purified water, spring water, and distilled water, all of which are safe to drink. The EPA did not respond to numerous requests by Patch seeking comment on the findings of the study. While all public water systems in Florida are required to perform routine testing to ensure that they meet state drinking water standards, private well owners are responsible for ensuring that their OWN well water is safe to drink. Will the Tampa Bay area be under water in 100 years? Carbon filters, for example, will reduce many, but not all, contaminants. According to the environmental group, many of the 270-plus contaminants detected through water sampling are at levels deemed legal under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, yet are above levels that recent studies have found to pose possible health risks. In 2018, the hard work and dedication of Tampa’s Water Department staff was recognized by the Partnership for Safe Water with the '20-Year Directors Award.' "We absolutely believe in the power of personal advocacy — for individuals to reach out to their local elected officials of all levels. To read the director's full comments about Tampa's water quality and review our current water quality data, containing data from calendar year 2019, access the full version of our current water quality report -- available in English or in Spanish. ... the organization has said they "may not know" whether your water is safe to drink. 30, 2019 PUBLISHED 7:58 AM EDT Jul. In the USA, for example, around 85% of tap water is reported as safe. Note: if you do use a disposable or faucet filtration system or pitcher, make sure you rotate and refresh them on time. The following contaminants were detected above the environmental group's own recommended health guidelines in these Tampa area utilities: From April 2016 to March 2019, the Clearwater Water System complied with health-based drinking water standards. They include lead, which has been linked to brain damage in small children; arsenic, which can cause cancer; and copper, which can be harmful to infants. Strock, who is not affiliated with the environmental group, also emphasized the challenges in the process of federally regulating harmful contaminants, suggesting the current system is somewhat backward. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, collaborating with outside scientists, aggregated and analyzed data from almost 50,000 local water utilities in all 50 states. In 2018, the hard work and dedication of Tampa’s Water Department staff was recognized by the Partnership for Safe Water with the '20-Year Directors Award.' Five contaminants were above health guidelines: For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards. In which case, you’ll get a “water boil notice”. Officials say six passengers fell ill on a Frontier Airlines flight from Cleveland to Tampa. Four contaminants were above health guidelines: All of these materials are linked to an increased risk of cancer. The water group does offer information, though, on filtering technologies that you can use to dramatically reduce water contamination. To avoid running the risk of drinking unsafe tap water, order filtered water to assure your water is clean. EWG researchers spent two years collecting data from state agencies and the EPA for drinking water tests conducted from 2010 to 2015 by 48,712 water utilities in all 50 states and D.C. The award, reserved for utilities that treat surface waters like the Hillsborough River, acknowledges our ongoing treatment optimizations and water quality monitoring that go above and beyond regulatory requirements. Tempers flashed Monday at a Tampa Bay Water board meeting over Tampa’s plan to convert highly treated wastewater to drinking water. TAMPA MUNICIPAL OFFICE BUILDING306 East Jackson StreetTampa, Florida 33602, "Bienvenidos a Tampa!" According to a new study published recently in Circulation, a journal published by the American Heart Association (AHA), young adults free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease developed heart damage after only five years of exposure to low-to-moderate levels of arsenic commonly found in groundwater. The report said that 1,617 utilities across the state served 19.73 million people, according to the environmental group. After seven decades of living in a man's body, a Chicagoan has physically become the woman she always knew she was. Together with Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier, we routinely monitor for contaminants and provide annual water quality reports to our customers. -- Chuck Weber, Tampa Water Department Director. Two contaminants were above health guidelines: Both of these materials are linked to an increased risk of cancer. But the EWG says, "The EPA has not set a new tap water standard in almost 20 years, and some standards are more than 40 years old.". The City of Tampa maintains drinking water pH values between 7.1 and 8.5 to minimize the corrosion of our customers' water pipes. The other 12% receive their water from "limited-use" public water systems and private wells. "The regulatory system meant to ensure the safety of America's drinking water is broken. ... water safe to drink at airport. The award, reserved for utilities that treat surface Filtering technology will help. The Environmental Working Group also noted that the every-day person is frustratingly helpless to the chemicals going into their water supply, and the subsequent costs associated with different water filtering techniques. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires monitoring for more than 80 drinking water contaminants, which are included in annual water quality reports if they are detected. Think again! Such water is safe to drink, PUB said. CLEARWATER — Ensuring the region’s drinking water is clean and safe starts at the source. ... January 1, 2019 at 6:21 PM EST - Updated January 3 at 11:12 PM For those with concerns, the environmental group provides a guide to buying water filters. 2019-05-07T15:29:00Z The letter F. An envelope. We're trying to fill the gap to let people know, based on the latest science, what the safe levels of contaminants in water are.". The substances are linked to cancer, damage to the brain and nervous system, hormonal disruption, problems in pregnancy and other serious health conditions. Continued Well Water: Safety and Quality ... Our senses are valuable tool when looking for contaminants in drinking water. Here is what they told us: 30 people said "The tap water is not safe to drink", 17 people said "I drink filtered tap water", 9 people said "I love the tap water … If you call Tampa or St. Petersburg home you’re aware that water is a way of life in Southwest Florida. Three of these materials are linked to an increased risk of cancer, while chlorate poses a risk to your thyroid. External Links Disclaimer "A lot of these legal limits are outdated and not necessarily the safe level, and the EWG really wants to fill that gap," Evans said. Tho Tampa has had a good number of boil-water days over the past 5 years, which isn't great. The inexcusable failure of the federal government's responsibility to protect public health means there are no legal limits for more than 160 unregulated contaminants in U.S. tap water," Environmental Working Group researchers stated in its "State of American Drinking Water.". If you find your local water supply has a particularly high level of a dangerous chemical, you can search for a filter that best blocks the specific substance. Here are three simple things each of us can do to help keep our source water as safe as possible: Below are the most recent prior year Water Quality Reports in PDF format. Reports of lead in drinking water have sounded alarm bells in several communities across the U.S. Maybe that's got you wondering what’s in your tap water and how safe it is. We are the only utility in Florida that has earned the award." There was a time when Americans took clean drinking water for granted. "We really want to iterate that's a first-line, temporary measure," Evans told Patch. SHARE. The employees of the Tampa Water Department take great care in assuring that your water is safe to drink. A variety of other contaminants often found in the water of millions of Americans can profoundly impact health. In Florida, the group found 96 contaminants across state water supplies between 2012 and 2017. While water filters are important, the group also acknowledges they are more of a Band-Aid solution than an actual fix. The City of Tampa is looking to augment it’s drinking water supply. Water Quality Questionable in Tampa and St. Petersburg, FL. So, yes, under normal circumstances, Florida’s drinking water is safe...unless the water becomes contaminated. The power of people can come into play," Naidenko said. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), between 20 and 50% of tourists traveling to other countries will suffer from traveler’s diarrhea. The state and federal regulators say that tap water across America is safe to drink and standards are highly regulated. Two contaminants exceed health guidelines: Seven contaminants exceed health standards: Six contaminants exceed health guidelines: Five contaminants exceed health standards: Three contaminants exceed health guidelines: One contaminant, total trihalomethanes, exceed health guidelines. The EWG says they can be removed from your drinking water by using reverse osmosis filters. Even water that is perfectly safe for the local population to drink may give you traveler’s diarrhea since your stomach is not used to the bacterial make-up of the water. The environmental group's public database catalogues contaminants in every water system in the country — the first such database of its kind. Water Quality Report"At the David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility, we go the extra mile to provide you and your family a safe and reliable source of drinking water. The City of Tampa is looking to augment it's drinking water supply. Save On Kitchen & Laundry, Ugly Holiday Sweater Events Planned At Aquarium, Volunteers needed to train for CERT in the City of Tampa, The Hall On Franklin To Permanently Close Dec. 15, Land O' Lakes Woman Wins $2 Million In Lottery Scratch-Off Game, Package Thefts In Tampa: Porch Pirates Lurk As Holidays Approach, Tampa International Airport Opens Pet Potty Project. Tests Philadelphia's drinking water at more than 65 locations around the city to make sure it is clean, not only when it … The City is one of approximately 6,000 utilities nationwide monitoring for unregulated contaminants from 2018 through 2020. The EWG says they can be removed from your drinking water by using reverse osmosis filters. Yes, its fine to drink, and tastes just fine. All rights reserved, request a printed copy of the current report, Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR4), See updated hardness and pH values on our. So let’s look at why Florida’s water is particularly vulnerable to contamination and what you can do to keep your drinking water safe … I don't prefer the taste of it, but it largely is safe. The environmental group has a clear opinion on the federal government's handling of water safety. "With the science on what we call 'emerging contaminants' continuing to grow, it is clear that there are components of our tap water that can be improved," Kristin Strock, professor of Environmental Science at Dickinson College, told Patch. Weird tasting tap water may mean there are high levels of minerals in the water (and even non-toxic contaminants) that aren’t yet regulated by the government. At the end of the day, Florida’s tap water is largely safe to drink, unless there is a water boil notice. Specific questions about the pH value of Tampa's drinking water may submitted online. Tests water in different stages of treatment from Philadelphia's drinking water and wastewater plants to make sure that treatment is proceeding properly. After you enter your ZIP code, you'll be directed to a page showing the name of your water utility system. Tampa Bay Water is again offering mini-grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 for community groups, non-profits, schools and universities that are interested in preventing pollution, cleaning local waterways and protecting our drinking water sources. We recognize the tremendous responsibility to provide our region with high-quality drinking water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The city of Clearwater is once again pleased to present our annual water quality report covering all testing performed between January 1 and December 31, 2018. In Tampa, Culligan Water Conditioning's Director of Operations Brian Kennedy says they are installing 50% more under the sink drinking water systems and water coolers than this time last year. Protection of our source water depends on all of us. Yet the EPA requires drinking water utilities across the country to test for only six of 14 known substances in the category.