waterbycounty
Federal water data

County water report

Putnam County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

8.7

State rank

#65

of 66

Health violations

102

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

33.3%

1,718 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

262

73,405 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

ST. JOHNS R AT BUFFALO BLUFF NEAR SATSUMA, FL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Putnam County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 8.7 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

102

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

33% impaired

1,718 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

ST. JOHNS R AT BUFFALO BLUFF NEAR SATSUMA, FL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

262

73,405 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

8.7/100

Health violations

102

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

389.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Putnam County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Putnam County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 8.7 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 102 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 33.3% of assessed waterways are impaired (572 of 1,718 water bodies) across Putnam 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.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Putnam County has extensive coverage with 262 active monitoring sites with 73,405 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, minor, metals. 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 Putnam County

Water Verdict

Putnam County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 8.7 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

Putnam County has recorded 102 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 389.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Putnam County has a Grade F compliance record with 102 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Putnam County's drinking-water compliance score is 8.7 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Florida Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. Mercury in Fish Tissue is the leading impairment cause in Putnam County's watershed. With 262 active water-quality monitoring sites in Putnam County, data coverage is strong. Live streamflow monitoring from the ST. JOHNS R gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Putnam County has poorer water quality than the average county in Florida. Its water score is 47.3 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 Putnam 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

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Putnam County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Putnam County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Putnam County

Consumer Confidence Reports (FL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Florida

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

33.3%

572 of 1,718 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

  • 2

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

  • 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

262

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

73K

73,405 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • 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

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 Putnam 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.

Try the full calculator →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Sponsored

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Putnam County, Florida?
Putnam County, Florida has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 8.7/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 102 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 Putnam County?
Putnam County has 102 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 Putnam County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 33.3% of Putnam County's 1,718 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (572 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, 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 Putnam County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 73,405 measurements from 262 monitoring sites in Putnam County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, 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 Putnam County water compare to the Florida average?
Putnam County's SDWIS water quality score of 8.7/100 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 Putnam County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Putnam County has a water quality grade of F (8.7/100). 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 Putnam County have so many water violations?
Putnam County has 102 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 Putnam County rank for water quality in Florida?
Putnam County ranks #65 out of 66 counties in Florida by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 8.7/100, 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

Columbia County

Florida

F

6.0

Water score

Taylor County

Florida

F

11.8

Water score

Hendry County

Florida

F

13.3

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

Explore more data for Putnam County

Property TaxCost of LivingCrime RateIncomeHealthSchoolsDisaster RiskWeatherCounty Score