Drinking Water

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Drinking Water

St. Pete’s drinking water comes from a combination of ground and surface water, which undergoes a three-step treatment process before being distributed to residents. St. Pete is part of Tampa Bay Water, which also supplies drinking water to Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, New Port Richey and Tampa. More about the drinking water sources can be found below. 

Tampa Bay Water Sources

All of the city’s potable water is disinfected using chloramines, which is a safe, proven water treatment method used throughout the country. Read more information on St. Pete's water quality in the latest Water Quality Report below. 

Water Quality Report 

View the latest water quality report for the most recent data and information about our award-winning drinking water and services. Find more information from the Environmental Protection Agency at epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations.

2022 Drinking Water Quality Report

PFAS & Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are man-made compounds that have been widely used in the manufacturing of certain consumer products since the 1940s. When these products are used and discarded, they can release PFAS into the environment. Because these chemicals are slow to break down when they enter our environment, it is not uncommon to find low levels of PFAS in drinking water sources. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is focused on a small number of these compounds that may have health effects at very low concentrations. No health-based standards have been established for PFAS or other unregulated contaminants under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).  However, the EPA has some proposed limits currently under review.

Between April of 2014 and January of 2015, the Water Resources Department participated in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3).  Included in the list of chemical contaminants selected for assessment monitoring were 6 PFAS: PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS, PFHpA, and PFBS.  There were no PFAS detected above the minimum reporting limits at that time.

The Water Resources Department is participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5).  The list of contaminants selected for this round of assessment monitoring includes 29 PFAS and the metal lithium. This work adds 23 new PFAS to be studied and uses a method capable of detecting lower concentrations of the same 6 PFAS studied under UCMR3.  Sampling will occur every 3 months starting in July of 2023 and ending in April of 2024. More information on the UCMR5 program can be found at epa.gov/DWUCMR

Latest Testing Results

The City of St. Petersburg routinely samples drinking water for a series of unregulated contaminants. The purpose of monitoring for these contaminants is to help the EPA decide whether the contaminants should have a standard. During recent testing, unregulated contaminants were detected. Although unregulated contaminants were detected, the City’s drinking water currently meets all Safe Drinking Water Act standards. As our customers, you have a right to know that these data are available.

UCMR5 Testing Results

The City of St. Petersburg is partnering with our drinking water distributor, Tampa Bay Water, to determine to what extent our drinking water supply has been affected by PFAS in our environment, support setting standards that protect public health, and identify potential mitigation strategies if needed.  More information about PFAS can be found at www.tampabaywater.org/pfas