Highlands County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records
Highlands County, Florida: 2 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest5.5 ng/L
- AVON PARK, CITY OF5.5 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-07-24
- SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEMNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2025-01-23 to 2025-07-30
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 2 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest5.3 ng/L
- SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEM5.3 ng/LSample date: 2025-01-23 to 2025-07-30
- AVON PARK, CITY OF4.2 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-07-24
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest9.6 µg/L
- AVON PARK, CITY OF9.6 µg/LMonitoring period: 2023–2023
- SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEM0.9 µg/LMonitoring period: 2023–2023
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 2 systems10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.1 ng/L
- SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEM3.1 ng/LSample date: 2025-01-23 to 2025-07-30
- AVON PARK, CITY OF3 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-07-24
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest3 ng/L
- AVON PARK, CITY OF3 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-07-24
- SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEMNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2025-01-23 to 2025-07-30
26 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 2 systems: AVON PARK, CITY OF, SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEM
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
- Lithium
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 2 cities above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in FloridaLargest water systems
Frequently asked
How does Highlands County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Highlands County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Sebring's main water system: SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEM · PWSID FL6280250 · Purity Score 71 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Highlands County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
2 of 2 Highlands County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Avon Park (PFOA 5.5 ng/L), Sebring (PFOS 5.3 ng/L). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. PFAS were detected at any level in 2.
Is there lead in Highlands County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 2 Highlands County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
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