Pinellas County, FLPinellas County water quality results
Report years: Clearwater system 2025 reporting year (2026 report); Pinellas County CCR 2025. Sources linked at the bottom.
Hardness
About 12 to 14 grains per gallon — 'very hard' by any measure. The county's own 2025 report tells homeowners to set softeners between 11.1 and 14.3 grains. That's the crust on your faucets and the spots on your dishes.
PFAS
PFAS — here's what the testing actually shows. Pinellas County Utilities tested for 29 PFAS compounds and found none — clean. The Clearwater system's older EPA monitoring (UCMR) found 3: PFOS up to 5.9 parts per trillion — above the federal 4 ppt limit — plus small amounts of PFPeA (3.5 ppt) and PFBS (3.0 ppt). The city's newest report adds a fresher number: on December 3, 2025, the city sampled each of its three plants. RO Plant 1 came back PFOS 4.4 ppt and PFOA 2.6 ppt, with PFBS at 2.5 ppt. The other two plants ran lower — PFOS 1.4 ppt at RO Plant 2 and 1.2 ppt at Plant 3. That's one sample date, one snapshot — point-in-time readings, not violations, and not a running average off your tap.
Want your number? I sell a certified PFAS lab test — I take the sample, send it to the lab, and walk you through the results.
What this means for you
If you're on city water in Pinellas, a softener isn't optional — it's the difference between appliances that last and ones that don't. On a well, add iron and sulfur to the list — nobody tests that but you.
Full results, in plain English
These are the figures the two utilities published. ND means not detected.
Pinellas County Utilities — 2025 report
| Contaminant | What they found | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 217 ppm | 189–244 ppm, about 11.1–14.3 grains per gallon |
| pH | Not published (range only) | 7.90–8.11 |
| Iron | 0.058 ppm | 0.018–0.097 ppm |
| Chloride | 29 ppm | 23–35 ppm |
| Sulfate | 68 ppm | 31–105 ppm |
| Total dissolved solids | 343 ppm | 293–392 ppm |
| Fluoride | 0.60 ppm | County has discontinued adding fluoride (new Florida law) — natural 0.15–0.50 ppm still in the ground |
| Sodium | 29.7 ppm | Not published |
| Chlorine/chloramine | 3.8 ppm | 0.30–5.30 ppm (highest running annual average) |
| HAA5 | 28.1 ppb | 13.35–35.03 ppb (highest locational running annual average) |
| TTHM | 41.6 ppb | 31.40–48.63 ppb (highest locational running annual average) |
| Copper | 0.3 ppm | 90th percentile tap sample (2023 sampling) |
| Lead | 0.8 ppb | 90th percentile tap sample (2023 sampling) |
| Barium | 0.0126 ppm | Not published |
| Chromium | 0.8 ppb | Not published |
| Nickel | 3.3 ppb | Not published |
| Nitrate | 0.13 ppm | Not published |
| PFAS | None detected | 29 compounds tested (UCMR5); none found at the distribution entry points |
City of Clearwater — 2025 reporting year (2026 report)
| Contaminant | What they found | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Radium 226+228 | 1.15 pCi/L | ND–1.15 pCi/L |
| Arsenic | 0.35 ppb | ND–3.5 ppb |
| Barium | 0.0154 ppm | 0.0071–0.0154 ppm |
| Fluoride | 0.51 ppm | 0.36–0.51 ppm |
| Nitrate | 0.28 ppm | 0.025–0.28 ppm |
| Chlorine/chloramine | 3.18 ppm | 0.6–4.9 ppm |
| HAA5 | 32.5 ppb | 5.3–55.2 ppb |
| TTHM | 68.0 ppb | 32.0–68.8 ppb |
| Bromate | 2.5 ppb | 0.28–2.5 ppb |
| Copper | 0.34 ppm | Not published |
| Lead | 1.2 ppb | Not published |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | 20 ppt | ND–20 ppt |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate | 0.47 ppb | Not published |
| PFAS | Dec 2025 plant samples (12/3/2025): PFOS 4.4 ppt at RO Plant 1, lower at the other two plants (1.4 and 1.2 ppt). Older EPA (UCMR) monitoring: PFOS up to 5.9 ppt; PFPeA up to 3.5 ppt; PFBS up to 3.0 ppt | Single sample date; point-in-time results, not violations |
What's NOT in these reports: Pinellas County Utilities did publish an iron number (0.058 ppm), but neither utility publishes a finished-water hydrogen sulfide number, tannins, or microplastics. One thing that changed: the 2025 report confirms it — Pinellas has discontinued adding fluoride, Florida law. What's in the water now is just what's in the ground. That's exactly what my free field test and my own tap readings are for.
Real tap readings from my free tests in Pinellas: none logged yet. Get your free test and help build the county's real hardness map.