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County water report

Citrus County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

60.8

State rank

#32

of 66

Health violations

7

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

45.4%

410 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

331

78,027 recent measurements

Live streamflow

14%

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER NEAR INVERNESS, FL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Citrus County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 60.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

7

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

45% impaired

410 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

14% of mean

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER NEAR INVERNESS, FL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

331

78,027 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.

60.8/100

Health violations

7

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

5.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Citrus County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Citrus County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 60.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 7 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

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 45.4% of assessed waterways are impaired (186 of 410 water bodies) across Citrus 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 2026-05-14T14:30:00.000-04:00) puts WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER at 84.7 cfs — well below its long-term average at 14% 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. Citrus County has extensive coverage with 331 active monitoring sites with 78,027 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. 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 Citrus County

Water Verdict

Citrus County, Florida receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 60.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 410 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 45.4% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 14.3% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Citrus County, Florida show 7 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 5.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 78,027 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Citrus County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Citrus County's drinking-water compliance score is 60.8 out of 100. The violation rate for Citrus County is 5.9 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 Citrus County's watershed. With 331 active water-quality monitoring sites in Citrus County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Citrus County has water quality close to the average county in Florida. Its water score is within 4.8 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 Citrus 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

    Chlorophyll-a (algae indicator)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Citrus County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Citrus County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Citrus County

Consumer Confidence Reports (FL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Florida

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

45.4%

186 of 410 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

  • 2

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

  • 3

    CHLOROPHYLL-A

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

331

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

78K

78,027 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals

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

84.7cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

14%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER NEAR INVERNESS, FL

USGS site
02312762
Drainage area
1,700 sq mi
Long-term mean
591 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

Estimate Your Water Costs

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 Citrus 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 Citrus County, Florida?
Citrus County, Florida has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 60.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 7 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Citrus County?
Citrus County has 7 health-based drinking water violations 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 Citrus County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 45.4% of Citrus County's 410 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (186 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, CHLOROPHYLL-A. 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 Citrus County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 78,027 measurements from 331 monitoring sites in Citrus County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Minor, Metals. 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 Citrus County right now?
Citrus County's primary USGS streamgage on the WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 84.7 cubic feet per second — 14% of the long-term mean of 591.07 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 Citrus County water compare to the Florida average?
Citrus County's SDWIS water quality score of 60.8/100 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 Citrus County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Citrus County has a water quality grade of C (60.8/100). 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).
Why does Citrus County have so many water violations?
Citrus County has 7 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Citrus County rank for water quality in Florida?
Citrus County ranks #32 out of 66 counties in Florida by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 60.8/100, 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

Volusia County

Florida

C

61.2

Water score

Hardee County

Florida

C

59.9

Water score

Bradford County

Florida

C

59.6

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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