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County water report

Palm Beach County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

64.5

State rank

#28

of 66

Health violations

58

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

60.5%

408 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

614

209,789 recent measurements

Live streamflow

24%

LOXAHATCHEE RIVER NEAR JUPITER,FL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Palm Beach County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 64.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

58

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

61% impaired

408 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

24% of mean

LOXAHATCHEE RIVER NEAR JUPITER,FL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

614

209,789 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

64.5/100

Health violations

58

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Palm Beach County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Palm Beach County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 64.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 58 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 large majority — 60.5% — of assessed waterways are impaired (247 of 408 water bodies) across Palm Beach 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 LOXAHATCHEE RIVER at 22.3 cfs — well below its long-term average at 24% 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. Palm Beach County has extensive coverage with 614 active monitoring sites with 209,789 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 Palm Beach County

Water Verdict

Palm Beach County, Florida receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 64.5 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 408 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 60.5% 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 24.2% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Palm Beach County, Florida show 58 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 3.8 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: 209,789 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 Palm Beach County meets baseline safety standards, though the compliance record shows some violations worth watching. Palm Beach County's drinking-water compliance score is 64.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Palm Beach County is 3.8 per 100,000 people served. Running tap water for 30 seconds before drinking can reduce any localized lead exposure from household plumbing. Requesting your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report is the fastest way to identify which specific contaminants were flagged. Mercury in Fish Tissue is the leading impairment cause in Palm Beach County's watershed. With 614 active water-quality monitoring sites in Palm Beach County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the LOXAHATCHEE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Palm Beach County has better water quality than the average county in Florida. Its water score is 8.5 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to 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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Palm Beach County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Palm Beach County

Consumer Confidence Reports (FL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Florida

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

60.5%

247 of 408 assessed

High 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

614

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

210K

209,789 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Cyanotoxins, Phytotoxins

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

22.3cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

24%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

LOXAHATCHEE RIVER NEAR JUPITER,FL

USGS site
02277600
Long-term mean
92.1 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.

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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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County, Florida?
Palm Beach County, Florida has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 64.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 58 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 Palm Beach County?
Palm Beach County has 58 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 Palm Beach County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 60.5% of Palm Beach County's 408 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (247 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 Palm Beach County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 209,789 measurements from 614 monitoring sites in Palm Beach County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Cyanotoxins, Phytotoxins. 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 Palm Beach County right now?
Palm Beach County's primary USGS streamgage on the LOXAHATCHEE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 22.3 cubic feet per second — 24% of the long-term mean of 92.09 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 Palm Beach County water compare to the Florida average?
Palm Beach County's SDWIS water quality score of 64.5/100 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 Palm Beach County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Palm Beach County has a water quality grade of B (64.5/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Palm Beach County have so many water violations?
Palm Beach County has 58 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 Palm Beach County rank for water quality in Florida?
Palm Beach County ranks #28 out of 66 counties in Florida by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 64.5/100, 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

Lee County

Florida

B

64.2

Water score

Brevard County

Florida

B

65.6

Water score

Nassau County

Florida

B

62.6

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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