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EPA SDWIS

Highlands County Water Quality

Highlands County, Florida

Water Grade

F

Water Score

25.8

Violations

83

State Rank

#58

of 66 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

25.8/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

83

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

85.7%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Highlands County

Water Verdict

Highlands County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 25.8 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans.

Violation Context

Highlands County has recorded 83 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 85.7 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Highlands County are advised to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and cooking until water quality improves. A reverse-osmosis or activated-carbon filter certified to remove the contaminants listed in the utility's Consumer Confidence Report is recommended. With 83 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Highlands County has poorer water quality than the average county in Florida. Its water score is 30.2 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

42.7%

390 of 914 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

  • 2

    CHLOROPHYLL-A

  • 3

    NITROGEN, TOTAL

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

404

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

82K

82,268 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton

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

44.4cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

15%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

ARBUCKLE CREEK NEAR DE SOTO CITY, FL

USGS site
02270500
Drainage area
379 sq mi
Long-term mean
307 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Highlands County, Florida?
Highlands County, Florida has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 25.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 83 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Highlands County?
Highlands County has 83 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 Highlands County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 42.7% of Highlands County's 914 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (390 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE, CHLOROPHYLL-A, NITROGEN, TOTAL. 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 Highlands County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 82,268 measurements from 404 monitoring sites in Highlands County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton. 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 Highlands County right now?
Highlands County's primary USGS streamgage on the ARBUCKLE CREEK is currently reading 44.4 cubic feet per second — 15% of the long-term mean of 306.66 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Highlands County water compare to the Florida average?
Highlands County's SDWIS water quality score of 25.8/100 is lower 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 Highlands County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Highlands County has a water quality grade of F (25.8/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. 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 Highlands County have so many water violations?
Highlands County has 83 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 Highlands County rank for water quality in Florida?
Highlands County ranks #58 out of 66 counties in Florida by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 25.8/100, it falls in the bottom 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

Gulf County

Florida

F

24.4

Water score

Franklin County

Florida

F

27.4

Water score

Madison County

Florida

F

28.1

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, 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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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