733,886 people served, water utility, Hillsborough County
Billing, service and outages are handled by the utility at its official website above. ScoreYourWater is not your water company and never handles water billing.
Tampa Water Department has a Water Score of 60 out of 100 (Fair) on our scale. 5 of 33 detected contaminants are above a published health guideline (2018-2025). EPA compliance: no open violations (July to September 2026 extract); this is public data, not a test of your tap.
EPA treatment records (state-reported) list chloramines for City of Tampa Water Department. EPA record
EPA's records list no health-based violations for the City of Tampa Water Department for compliance periods starting since July 1, 2021. Lead, 90th percentile: 1.5 ppb at the latest result since July 2021, at or below EPA's 15 ppb action level (EPA SDWIS, monitoring period July to December 2025). In the EPA UCMR 5 data we use, the City of Tampa Water Department's PFOS and PFOA averages (PFOS 3.39 ppt, detected in 5 of 8 samples; PFOA 1.13 ppt, detected in 2 of 8 samples; average of all samples) are not above 4.0 ppt, the limit in EPA's 2024 PFAS rule. Scored against health guidelines that are stricter than legal limits, using public utility data. Not a test of your tap.
The 90th percentile is a system-wide measure from homes sampled under EPA's lead rule; it isn't a result for your home.
EPA UCMR 5 data, samples through June 2026.
5 contaminants above health guidelines (of 33 detected)
Guideline basis: long-term cancer risk
Bromodichloromethane: a disinfection by-product that forms when chlorine reacts with organic matter. California OEHHA set a 0.06 ppb public health goal to limit long-term cancer risk. Source: California OEHHA
Guideline basis: long-term cancer risk
Arsenic: a natural element that enters water from rock and soil deposits and from some orchard and industrial runoff. California OEHHA set a 0.004 ppb public health goal in 2004 to limit lung and bladder cancer risk; EPA's enforceable limit is 10 ppb (in effect since 2006). Source: California OEHHA
Guideline basis: long-term cancer risk
Dibromochloromethane: a disinfection by-product that forms when chlorine reacts with organic matter. California OEHHA set a 0.1 ppb public health goal in 2020 to limit long-term cancer risk; it also counts toward EPA's 80 ppb limit for total trihalomethanes. Source: California OEHHA
Guideline basis: long-term cancer risk
Chloroform: a disinfection by-product that forms when chlorine reacts with organic matter. California OEHHA set a 0.4 ppb public health goal in 2020 to limit long-term cancer risk; it also counts toward EPA's 80 ppb limit for total trihalomethanes. Source: California OEHHA
Guideline basis: long-term cancer risk
Bromoform: a disinfection by-product that forms when chlorine reacts with organic matter. California OEHHA set a 0.5 ppb public health goal in 2020 to limit long-term cancer risk; it also counts toward EPA's 80 ppb limit for total trihalomethanes. Source: California OEHHA
Lead: 1.5 ppb (90th percentile of tap samples, July to December 2025). EPA action level (90th percentile): 15 ppb.
Lead is measured at the tap in homes selected because they are most likely to have lead plumbing. EPA says lead in drinking water mainly comes from pipes, solder and fixtures in service lines and buildings, not from the water source. Your home's plumbing matters more than the utility's number. EPA's goal (MCLG) for lead is zero.
California's public health goal for lead is 0.2 ppb.
If your home is older or may have a lead service line, ask your utility (it must keep a service-line inventory) or have your tap tested by a state-certified lab.
Source: EPA SDWA records, July to September 2026 extract. Results measured by a supplier are marked with an asterisk.
None recorded in EPA SDWIS for compliance periods starting since Jul 1, 2021.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWA bulk extract, July to September 2026).
These are EPA's and Florida DEP's public records for this water system, shown as of October 14, 2026. If you represent this utility, or think a record here is wrong, tell us: Report an error. If the error is in EPA's or Florida DEP's own records, the state drinking water program can correct it there, and this page updates at our next data refresh.
A legal limit is an enforceable standard, set by the EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Limits weigh health research together with the cost and feasibility of treatment. A health guideline is published by public-health sources and based on health research alone. A utility can meet every legal limit and still be above a published health guideline.
Tampa Water Department is the main water provider for Tampa. Some addresses can be served by a different system, so check your water bill: it names your utility.
Call (813) 274-8811 or visit https://www.tampa.gov/water/contact-us. Billing and outages are handled by the utility, not by ScoreYourWater.
By EPA's service-area maps, the City of Tampa Water Department is the main water system serving Tampa (Hillsborough County, FL). Your water bill names your utility. Source: EPA Water System Boundaries and U.S. Census Bureau 2020 place boundaries.
City of Tampa Water Department buys water from Tampa Bay Water (Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant) and Tampa Bay Water (Morris Bridge Pump Station). No other utility in this data buys water from it. (July to September 2026 extract.)
5 of 33 detected contaminants were above their published health guidelines in EPA SDWA, EPA UCMR and Florida DEP data, 2018-2025. The highest: Bromodichloromethane at 95 times its guideline, Arsenic at 65 times its guideline and Dibromochloromethane at 33 times its guideline.
Chloramine is a disinfectant made by combining chlorine and ammonia. Some water systems use it in place of free chlorine. The public data used on this site (EPA SDWA, EPA UCMR and Florida DEP data) does not record which disinfectant City of Tampa Water Department uses, so we do not say. Your utility can tell you.
The score starts at 100. It goes down 8 for each contaminant above a cited health guideline whose source states a cancer basis, 5 for each other contaminant above its cited guideline, 5 for each of PFOA and PFOS averaging above the 4.0 ppt limit in EPA's 2024 PFAS rule, 10 for each contaminant whose average of all samples is above EPA's legal limit (instead of its guideline step), and 1 for each contaminant with a cited cancer-based guideline that is detected below it. Only guidelines with a cited document count. The lowest score is 5. Higher is better. For this report: 100 minus 8 times 5 is 60, so the score is 60.
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| Contaminant | This utility | Legal limit or action level | Health guideline | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride | 655 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 1,000 ppbdetected in 6 of 6 samples | 4,000 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Nitrate | 288 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 400 ppbdetected in 5 of 5 samples | 10,000 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Copper | 53 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 53 ppbdetected in 1 of 1 sampleMeasured where water enters the distribution system, not at the tap. EPA's action level applies to tap samples. | 1,300 ppb (EPA action level, 90th percentile) | None published | 2020 |
| Barium | 33.6 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 120 ppbdetected in 5 of 5 samples | 2,000 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) | 18.3 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 54.5 ppbdetected in 240 of 240 samples | 80 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) | 15.3 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 30 ppbdetected in 48 of 48 samples | No federal limit | None published | 2019-2020 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | 14.5 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 38.3 ppbdetected in 241 of 241 samples | 60 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Dichloroacetic acid | 8.26 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 20.9 ppbdetected in 144 of 145 samples | Counts toward the 60 ppb limit for haloacetic acids (HAA5) | None published | 2020-2022 |
| PFPeA | 6.54 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 8.4 pptdetected in 8 of 8 samples | No federal limit | None published | 2023-2025 |
| PFBS | 4.41 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 6.4 pptdetected in 8 of 8 samples | No federal limit | 2,000 ppt | 2023-2025 |
| PFHxA | 4.4 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 6 pptdetected in 7 of 8 samples | No federal limit | None published | 2023-2025 |
| PFOSEPA's 2024 rule sets a limit of 4.0 ppt; water systems must meet it by April 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed allowing extensions to April 2031. EPA's goal (MCLG) is zero. | 3.39 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 6.9 pptdetected in 5 of 8 samples | 4 ppt | None published | 2023-2025 |
| PFBA | 3.04 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 6.4 pptdetected in 4 of 8 samples | No federal limit | None published | 2023-2025 |
| Trichloroacetic acid | 2.57 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 12.5 ppbdetected in 125 of 146 samples | Counts toward the 60 ppb limit for haloacetic acids (HAA5) | None published | 2020-2022 |
| Dibromoacetic acid | 2.04 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 3.33 ppbdetected in 143 of 144 samples | Counts toward the 60 ppb limit for haloacetic acids (HAA5) | None published | 2020-2022 |
| PFHxSEPA set a limit in 2024 and proposed withdrawing it in May 2026. | 1.48 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 4.1 pptdetected in 3 of 8 samples | 10 ppt | None published | 2023-2025 |
| Monobromoacetic acid | 1.29 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 6.42 ppbdetected in 103 of 146 samples | Counts toward the 60 ppb limit for haloacetic acids (HAA5) | None published | 2020-2022 |
| PFOAEPA's 2024 rule sets a limit of 4.0 ppt; water systems must meet it by April 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed allowing extensions to April 2031. EPA's goal (MCLG) is zero. | 1.13 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 4.6 pptdetected in 2 of 8 samples | 4 ppt | None published | 2023-2025 |
| Monochloroacetic acid | 1.09 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 5.96 ppbdetected in 76 of 146 samples | Counts toward the 60 ppb limit for haloacetic acids (HAA5) | None published | 2020-2022 |
| Manganese | 0.5 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 1.1 ppbdetected in 5 of 8 samples | No federal limit | None published | 2019-2020 |
| PFHpA | 0.49 pptaverage of all sampleshighest sample 3.9 pptdetected in 1 of 8 samples | No federal limit | None published | 2023-2025 |
| Aluminum* | 15 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 55 ppbdetected in 8 of 11 samples | No federal limit | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Nitrite* | 7.81 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 150 ppbdetected in 3 of 36 samples | 1,000 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Selenium* | 1.1 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 11 ppbdetected in 1 of 10 samples | 50 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Radium-226 + Radium-228* | 0.61 pCi/Lsum of the radium-226 and radium-228 averages | 5 pCi/L | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Radium-226* | 0.53 pCi/Laverage of all sampleshighest sample 1.2 pCi/Ldetected in 9 of 12 samples | Counts toward the combined 5 pCi/L limit for radium-226 and radium-228 | None published | 2018-2022 |
| Uranium* | 0.47 ppbaverage of all sampleshighest sample 1.49 ppbdetected in 8 of 12 samples | 30 ppb | None published | 2018-2022 |
A legal limit is an enforceable standard, set by the EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Limits weigh health research together with the cost and feasibility of treatment. A health guideline is published by public-health sources and based on health research alone. A utility can meet every legal limit and still be above a published health guideline.