Pinellas County, FLPolk County water quality results
Credit where it's due: Polk County Utilities is one of the few that actually publishes hardness.
Hardness
Central system: about 5.9 grains per gallon. Southeast: about 6.7. Lake Garfield: about 3.2. Moderate — but well water in Polk is a different story, and plenty of the county's rural homes are on wells.
Lake Wales PFAS result
The City of Lake Wales system showed PFOA at 8 parts per trillion in past EPA testing — above the 4 ppt limit. Point-in-time sample, not a violation.
PFAS
PFAS — the national test results, system by system. Polk Central: 29 compounds tested, none detected — clean. Lake Wales is the one to watch: PFOA up to 8 ppt and PFOS up to 7.7 ppt — both above the federal limit — plus three more at lower levels. That's the highest PFAS reading in any county I cover. (Polk Southeast has no national test data published — I'm not claiming it either way.)
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.
Full results, in plain English
Figures from the county's own reports — Central and Southeast are the 2025 reports now; the Lake Garfield table below is still its 2024 report — plus the national Lake Wales PFAS test. ND means not detected.
Polk Central — 2025 report
| Contaminant | What they found | Range |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.8 | Not published |
| Hardness | About 101 ppm, 5.9 grains per gallon | Not published |
| Alkalinity | 120 ppm | Not published |
| Chlorine | 1.6 ppm | 0.3–3.0 ppm |
| HAA5 | 31.12 ppb | 11.12–35.20 ppb |
| TTHM | 66.17 ppb | 25.05–78.18 ppb |
| Barium | 0.015 ppm | 0.013–0.015 ppm |
| Mercury | 0.041 ppb | 0.019–0.041 ppb |
| Nitrate | 0.21 ppm | ND–0.25 ppm |
| Sodium | 14 ppm | 9.9–14 ppm |
| Copper | 1.30 ppm | Not published |
| Lead | 1.2 ppb | Not published |
| Alpha emitters | 3.2 pCi/L | 1.1–3.2 pCi/L |
| Radium 226+228 | 1.8 pCi/L | 0.6–1.8 pCi/L |
| PFAS | None detected | 29 compounds tested |
Polk Southeast — 2025 report
| Contaminant | What they found | Range |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.6 | Not published |
| Hardness | About 114 ppm, 6.7 grains per gallon | Not published |
| Alkalinity | About 166 ppm | Not published |
| Chlorine | 1.7 ppm | 0.5–2.9 ppm |
| HAA5 | 31.48 ppb | 23.17–33.37 ppb |
| TTHM | 55.72 ppb | 44.79–63.75 ppb |
| Barium | 0.060 ppm | 0.024–0.060 ppm |
| Sodium | 12.0 ppm | 11.0–12.0 ppm |
| Copper | 0.084 ppm | Not published |
| Lead | 1.0 ppb | Not published |
| Radium 226+228 | 2.8 pCi/L | 2.1–2.8 pCi/L |
| Hydrogen sulfide | Removed by cascade aeration | No finished-water number published |
| PFAS | No national-test data published | Not published |
Lake Garfield — 2024 report
| Contaminant | What they found | Range |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.8 | Not published |
| Hardness | About 55 ppm, 3.2 grains per gallon | Not published |
| Alkalinity | About 140 ppm | Not published |
| Chlorine | 0.5 ppm | 0.2–1.2 ppm |
| HAA5 | 9.05 ppb | Not published |
| TTHM | 10.1 ppb | Not published |
| Barium | 0.0058 ppm | Not published |
| Mercury | 0.014 ppb | Not published |
| Nitrate | 0.98 ppm | Not published |
| Sodium | 68 ppm | Not published |
| Copper | 0.6700 ppm | Not published |
| Lead | 7.85 ppb | Not published |
| Alpha emitters | 1.5 pCi/L | Not published |
| Radium 226+228 | 1.8 pCi/L | Not published |
| PFAS | No national-test data published | Not published |
Lake Wales — national test results
| Contaminant | What they found | Range |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | Up to 8.0 ppt — above the federal 4 ppt limit | Point-in-time results, not violations |
| PFOS | Up to 7.7 ppt — above the federal 4 ppt limit | Point-in-time results, not violations |
| PFPeA | Up to 5.9 ppt | Point-in-time results, not violations |
| PFBS | Up to 5.5 ppt | Point-in-time results, not violations |
| PFHxS | Up to 3.6 ppt | Point-in-time results, not violations |
What's NOT in these reports: no finished-water iron number; hydrogen sulfide is only described as removed by aeration, with no finished-water number; no tannins or microplastics. That's exactly what my free field test and my own tap readings are for.
Real tap readings from my free tests in Polk: none logged yet. Get your free test and help build the county's real hardness map.