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Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) water quality report, rewritten

Serves
242,172
Connections
101,327
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Pensacola, FL
County
Escambia
Owner
Local government
The 17 ZIP codes it serves

32501, 32502, 32503, 32504, 32505, 32506, 32507, 32508, 32509, 32511, 32514, 32526, 32533, 32534, 32561, 32562, 36561

PWSID FL1170525 · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS (above the health goal) was found in 21 of 54 samples, highest 35.7 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in 24 of 54 samples, highest 25.8 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFHxS (above the health goal) was found in 25 of 54 samples, highest 55.3 ppt. Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFNA (above the health goal) was found in two of 54 samples, highest 16.2 ppt. Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 0.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

PFAS and lithium: EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from April 17, 2023 to Sept. 4, 2024. Each blue tick on a scale is one sample where it was found.

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2003 to 2023. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

PFOS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

35.7 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 21

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

25.8 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 24

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

PFHxS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

55.3 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 25

Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

PFNA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

16.2 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in two

Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

0.6ppb

90th percentile, 2023

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 0.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

PFBS

Comes from the source

16ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 15

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

What handles it

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
6:2 FTS220 ppt4 of 54None covers it
PFPeA139 ppt25 of 54None covers it
PFHxA111 ppt19 of 54None covers it
PFBA40.7 ppt1 of 54None covers it
PFHpA37.8 ppt14 of 54NSF/ANSI 53: Total PFAS Reduction
PFPeS11 ppt2 of 54None covers it
4:2 FTS7.6 ppt1 of 54None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from April 17, 2023 to Sept. 4, 2024. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 18 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There is 1 monitoring or reporting violation: a sample missed, late or not reported.

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: PFOS Reduction, PFOA Reduction, Total PFAS Reduction, Lead Reduction

    Other certifiers’ wording: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS); Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA); Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS); Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA)

    For: PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA, Lead

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.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

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

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua)’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • 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.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from April 17, 2023 to Sept. 4, 2024.

Other Florida utilities

All Florida utilities

Sources

What to do next

  • Read up on the 5 marked results

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    Start with PFOS

  • Get the utility’s own report

    Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  • Test your own tap for lead

    Your 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 filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs