Carefree Country Club, Inc.
What EPA’s and Florida’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 784 people
- Connections
- 500
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Winter Haven, FL
- County
- Polk
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
3 results are above the health goal. The worst: Lead, above the health goal. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2008 to 2024.
Uranium, arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, chromium (total) and nitrate: Florida’s own results, samples taken from Aug. 12, 2020 to Dec. 15, 2024, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal3
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
1.0ppb
90th percentile, 2024
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.0 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Lead Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Lead Reduction”
Uranium
Comes from the source
0.37ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.37 ppb, in 2021: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 0.74 ppb. That is the only year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Arsenic
Comes from the source
0.1ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.1 ppb, in 2024: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.1 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
Below EPA’s limits5
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
68.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2024
2024 average: 49.8 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 68.2 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 91.6 ppb. In 2024, the latest year on file, its 16 samples averaged 49.8 ppb. EPA recorded no violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 61 ppb, in 2017.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
32.8ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2024
2024 average: 16.1 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 32.8 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 41.5 ppb. In 2024, the latest year on file, its 16 samples averaged 16.1 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 37.4 ppb, in 2019.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.31ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.31 ppm, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.17 ppm, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
2.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.0 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 10.4 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.022ppm
Highest sample; found in 2 of 6
2024 average: 0.011 ppm
The highest sample, in 2020, was 0.022 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2024, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 0.011 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.26 ppm, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claims: Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Lead, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Lead Reduction, Uranium, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Lead, Uranium, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)
At the tap, or for the whole house?
Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 18 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Uranium, arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, chromium (total) and nitrate results here are Florida’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Carefree Country Club, Inc.’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; Florida’s results run from Aug. 12, 2020 to Dec. 15, 2024.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Florida certifies closest to the area Carefree Country Club, Inc. serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Benchmark Mid Florida Laboratory
Winter Haven, FL · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria
Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Environmental Sciences
Lake Buena Vista, FL · about 29 miles
Certified for bacteria
SGS North America, Inc. - Orlando
Orlando, FL · about 40 miles
Certified for PFAS
Florida Department of Health Bureau of Public Health Laboratories: Coliform and E. coli testing for private wells at the Jacksonville and Miami labs. Collection kits come from your county health department, and the sample has to reach the lab on ice the same day it is collected. $40 for private testing through the state lab. Well Water Testing, Florida Department of Health.
All 212 certified labs for FloridaSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Drinking Water Program, results from Jan. 2, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2024, read Oct. 8, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Florida Department of Health Environmental Laboratory Certification Program, drinking water labs, as listed in TNI LAMS, read Oct. 11, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID FL6534918. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 3 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Lead
- Get the utility’s own reportCarefree Country Club, Inc. must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs