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County water report

Bradford County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Bradford County, Florida.

Water grade

C

Water score

59.6

State rank

#34

of 66

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

33.7%

692 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

62

11,778 recent measurements

Live streamflow

0%

SANTA FE RIVER NEAR GRAHAM, FLA.

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Bradford County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 59.6 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

34% impaired

692 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

0% of mean

SANTA FE RIVER NEAR GRAHAM, FLA.

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

62

11,778 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

59.6/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

6.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Bradford County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Bradford County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 59.6 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A substantial 33.7% of assessed waterways are impaired (233 of 692 water bodies) across Bradford County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are mercury in fish tissue and dissolved oxygen. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2025-12-01T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts SANTA FE RIVER at 0.2 cfs — well below its long-term average at 0% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Bradford County has extensive coverage with 62 active monitoring sites with 11,778 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include inorganics, minor, metals and physical. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Bradford County

Water Verdict

Bradford County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 59.6 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Bradford County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 6.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Bradford County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Bradford County's drinking-water compliance score is 59.6 out of 100. The violation rate for Bradford County is 6.6 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. Mercury in Fish Tissue is the leading impairment cause in Bradford County's watershed. With 62 active water-quality monitoring sites in Bradford County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SANTA FE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Bradford County has water quality close to the average county in Florida. Its water score is within 3.6 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Florida as a whole.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Bradford County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Mercury (fish tissue)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Low dissolved oxygen

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Iron

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Bradford County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Bradford County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Bradford County

Consumer Confidence Reports (FL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Florida

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

33.7%

233 of 692 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

  • 2

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

  • 3

    IRON

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

62

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

12K

11,778 total readings

Most Measured

  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Physical
  • Nutrient

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

0.17cfs

Dec 1, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

0%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

SANTA FE RIVER NEAR GRAHAM, FLA.

USGS site
02320700
Drainage area
94.9 sq mi
Long-term mean
48.2 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

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Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Bradford County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Bradford County, Florida?
Bradford County, Florida has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 59.6/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Bradford County?
Bradford County has 1 health-based drinking water violation recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Bradford County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 33.7% of Bradford County's 692 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (233 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, IRON. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Bradford County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 11,778 measurements from 62 monitoring sites in Bradford County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Physical, Nutrient. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Bradford County right now?
Bradford County's primary USGS streamgage on the SANTA FE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 0.17 cubic feet per second — 0% of the long-term mean of 48.22 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Bradford County water compare to the Florida average?
Bradford County's SDWIS water quality score of 59.6/100 is higher than the Florida state average of 56.0. The average water quality grade across Florida is D, based on data from 66 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Bradford County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Bradford County has a water quality grade of C (59.6/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Does Bradford County have clean drinking water?
Bradford County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 59.6/100 and grade C, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Bradford County rank for water quality in Florida?
Bradford County ranks #34 out of 66 counties in Florida by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 59.6/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Hardee County

Florida

C

59.9

Water score

Suwannee County

Florida

C

58.6

Water score

Citrus County

Florida

C

60.8

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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