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Federal water data

County water report

Lake County Water Report

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

Water grade

D

Water score

45.2

State rank

#50

of 66

Health violations

98

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

34.9%

1,674 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

591

120,616 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

ST. JOHNS RIVER NEAR DE LAND, FL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Lake County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

D

Score: 45.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

98

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

35% impaired

1,674 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

ST. JOHNS RIVER NEAR DE LAND, FL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

591

120,616 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

D

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

45.2/100

Health violations

98

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

23.5

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Lake County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Lake County's drinking water received a D grade, scoring 45.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 98 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 34.9% of assessed waterways are impaired (584 of 1,674 water bodies) across Lake County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are dissolved oxygen and mercury in fish tissue. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Lake County has extensive coverage with 591 active monitoring sites with 120,616 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 Lake County

Water Verdict

Lake County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 45.2 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Lake County has recorded 98 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 23.5 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Lake County's drinking-water compliance is below average with a Grade D, indicating repeated or unresolved violations in the recent record. Lake County's drinking-water compliance score is 45.2 out of 100. The violation rate for Lake County is 23.5 per 100,000 people served. Residents are encouraged to use an NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter for drinking and cooking water until the underlying violations are resolved. Running tap water for 30 seconds before use and avoiding older lead-pipe connections can also reduce exposure risk. The current Consumer Confidence Report from your utility will specify the contaminants of concern. Dissolved Oxygen is the leading impairment cause in Lake County's watershed. With 591 active water-quality monitoring sites in Lake County, data coverage is strong. Live streamflow monitoring from the ST. JOHNS RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Lake County has poorer water quality than the average county in Florida. Its water score is 10.8 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

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 Lake County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Low dissolved oxygen

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

  • 2

    Mercury (fish tissue)

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

  • 3

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Lake County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Lake County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Lake County

Consumer Confidence Reports (FL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Florida

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

34.9%

584 of 1,674 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

  • 2

    MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

  • 3

    PHOSPHORUS, 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

591

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

121K

120,616 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).

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 Lake 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 Lake County, Florida?
Lake County, Florida has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 45.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 98 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 Lake County?
Lake County has 98 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 Lake County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 34.9% of Lake County's 1,674 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (584 impaired). The top reported causes are DISSOLVED OXYGEN, MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE, PHOSPHORUS, 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 Lake County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 120,616 measurements from 591 monitoring sites in Lake 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.
How does Lake County water compare to the Florida average?
Lake County's SDWIS water quality score of 45.2/100 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 Lake County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Lake County has a water quality grade of D (45.2/100). 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 Lake County have so many water violations?
Lake County has 98 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 Lake County rank for water quality in Florida?
Lake County ranks #50 out of 66 counties in Florida by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 45.2/100, 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

Flagler County

Florida

D

46.2

Water score

Jackson County

Florida

D

46.6

Water score

Dixie County

Florida

D

47.1

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 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.

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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