Fort Walton Beach — 2025 Consumer Water Quality Report

Important Health Information Source Water Assessment WE ARE PLEASED TO REPORT THAT OUR Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in In 2025 the Florida Department of Environmental Protection FORT WALTON BEACH drinking water than the general population. Immuno- performed a Source Water Assessment on our system. The DRINKING WATER MEETS ALL FEDERAL AND compromised persons such as persons with cancer assessment was conducted to provide information about any STATE REQUIREMENTS undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone potential sources of contamination in the vicinity of our wells. Purpose of report organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune There are 26 potential sources of contamination identified for system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be this system with low to moderate susceptibility levels. The 2025 Annual The purpose of this report is to provide you with information about the quality of water and services we particularly at risk from infections. These people should assessment results are available on the FDEP Source Water deliver to you every day. We ask that all our customers seek advice about drinking water from their health care Assessment and Protection Program website at SWAPP providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to (state.fl.us). help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other our community, our way of life and our children’s future. microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Community Participation The Water Treatment staff works around the clock to meet Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). You are welcome to attended Fort Walton Beach regularly our goal to provide you with a high quality safe and scheduled Council meetings held on the second and fourth dependable supply of drinking water. Tuesday of every month. Contact the City Clerk at 850-833-9511 A Special Note About Lead in Drinking Water to confirm day, time and location of meeting. Lead can cause serious health effects in people of all ages, During the past year we have taken thousands of water especially pregnant people, infants (both formula-fed and samples to ensure the quality of your drinking water. The Substances that might be in drinking water breastfed), and young children. Lead in drinking water is The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) table attached shows only those contaminants that were primarily from materials and parts used in service lines and in detected in the water. The State has reduced monitoring include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and home plumbing. The City of Fort Walton Beach is responsible requirements for certain contaminants to less often than wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some once per year because the concentration of these pipes but cannot control the variety of materials used in the plumbing in your home. Because lead levels may vary over cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting contaminants is not expected to vary significantly from from the presence of animals or from human activity. year to year. In those cases, the most recent sample data time, lead exposure is possible even when your tap sampling PWS ID# 1460144 results do not detect lead at one point in time. You can help Contaminants That May Be Present In Source Water are included along with the year in which the sample was protect yourself and your family by identifying and removing Include: taken. lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to (A) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, Recipient reduce your family’s risk. Using a filter, certified by an American The City of Fort Walton Beach monitors for contaminants National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, FDEP 2020 Plant Operation Excellence Award agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife. in your drinking water according to Federal and State is effective in reducing lead exposures. Follow the instructions FDEP 2023 Plant Operation Excellence Award laws, rules, and regulations. Except where indicated provided with the filter to ensure the filter is used properly. Use (B) Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which only cold water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, otherwise, this report is based on the results of our Boiling water does not remove lead from water. Before using industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas monitoring for the period of January 1, 2025, to December tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula, flush production, mining, or farming. 31, 2025. Data obtained before January 1, 2025, and your pipes for several minutes. You can do this by running your (C) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety presented in this report are from the most recent testing tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. If you of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and done in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations. have a lead service line or a galvanized requiring replacement residential uses. service line, you may need to flush your pipes for a longer If you have any questions about this report or water quality period. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish (D) Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial in the City of Fort Walton Beach, please contact the Water to have your water tested, contact the City of FWB Utilities at 850-833-9613. Information on lead in drinking water, testing processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas Operations Supervisor at 850-833-9613. methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems. available at https://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. (E) Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally Where Does Our Drinking Water Come occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining From And How Is It Purified? The City performs lead testing at 30 designated sites every activities. The City of Fort Walton Beach’s water system processed three years. The next round of sampling is scheduled for 2026. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA approximately 976 million gallons of water in 2025. Our Individual results are delivered to each customer from where prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain the sample was collected. All results are on file at the Utilities water comes from eight deep wells drawing ground water contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The from the Floridan Aquifer, which provides a very high Field office located at 7 Hollywood Blvd. NW. You may Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits request a copy of lead testing results by calling 850-833-9613. quality water source. With the excellent water quality of for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health. the Floridan Aquifer, the only treatments required to meet The City conducted a detailed service line inventory which Federal and State standards are aeration and included inspecting every service connection within our system Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be chlorination. during our meter replacement project. No lead, galvanized expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. requiring replacement, or lead status unknown service lines The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that were identified during the inventory. Detailed records are on the water poses a health risk. More information about file at the Utilities Field office located at 7 Hollywood Blvd. NW. contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by You may request a copy of the inspection records associated calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking with any address by calling 850-833-9613. Water Hotline at (800-426-4791).  2025 WATER TESTING RESULTS In the table to the left you will find many terms and abbreviations, some of which you might not be INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS familiar. To help you better understand these terms, Dates of MCL Contaminant and Unit of sampling Violation Level Range of MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination we have provided the following definitions: Measurement Detected Results n/a: not applicable (mo./yr.) (Yes/No) Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; ND: means not detected and indicates that the substance was not found Barium (ppm) April 2023 No 0.35 0.0038-0.35 2 2 by laboratory analysis. erosion of natural deposits Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum Parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/l): one part by Fluoride (ppm) April 2023 No 0.94 0.46-0.94 4 5 factories. Water additive which promotes strong teeth when at the weight of analyte to one million parts by weight of the water sample. optimum level of 0.7 ppm The City does not add additional fluoride. Parts per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter (µg/l): one part by Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; weight of analyte to one billion parts by weight of the water sample. Nitrate(as Nitrogen) (ppm) April 2025 No 0.30 ND – 0.30 10 10 erosion of natural deposits. Picocuries per liter (pCi/L): measure of the radioactivity in water. Sodium (ppm) April 2023 No 120 43-120 n/a 160 Saltwater intrusion, leaching from soil Action Level (AL): the concentration of a contaminant which, if STAGE 2 DISINFECTANTS AND DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS * . exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water MCL or system must follow. Disinfectant or Dates of MRDL Level Range of MCLG or MCL or Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: the highest level of a Contaminant and Unit of sampling Likely Source of Contamination Violation Detected Results MRDLG MRDL contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close Measurement (mo./yr.) (Yes/No) to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment Jan-Dec technology. Chlorine (ppm) Stage 1 No 1.19 0.97-1.34 MRDLG = 4 MRDL = 4.0 Water additive used to control microbes 2025 Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG: the level of a Haloacetic Acids (five) July 2025 - contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or No 1.38-9.46 n/a MCL = 60 By-product of drinking water disinfection expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. (HAA5) (ppb) Oct 2025 TTHM (Total July 2025 – Maximum residual disinfectant level or MRDL: the highest level No 5.2-110.18 n/a MCL = 80 By-product of drinking water disinfection of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing trihalomethanes) (ppb) Oct 2025 MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS** evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants. Contaminant and Unit of Dates of MCL Total Number of Positive MCL or MRDL Likely Source of Contamination Maximum residual disinfectant level goal or MRDLG: the level of Measurement sampling Violation Samples a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or Jan - Dec E. coli No 1** Detected, but no MCL violation Human and animal fecal waste expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use 2025 of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants. ___________________________________________________________________ LEAD AND COPPER (TAP WATER) * During 2025, our system was sampling Total Trihalomethanes Dates of AL 90th No. (TTHMs) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5s) on a quarterly basis due to a Contaminant and Unit of Range of Tap AL (Action sample result that exceeded the MCL in a previous quarter. It was later Sampling Exceeded Percentile Exceeding MCGL Likely Source of Contamination Measurement Sample Results Level) determined to be a lab error. Our system will return to annual testing (mo./yr.) (Yes/No) Result the AL Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion and begin sampling Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and Haloacetic Copper (tap water) (ppm) June 2023 No 0.1 0 of 30 ND – 0.33 1.3 1.3 of natural deposits; leaching from wood Acids (HAA5s) in July 2026. preservatives Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion **In January 2025, a Potable Water sample tested positive for E. coli. Lead (tap water) (ppb) June 2023 No 1.7 0 of 30 ND – 4.0 0 15 Immediate action was taken. The well was removed from service and of natural deposits purged. Samples were collected on two consecutive days, and both samples were free of E. coli. The well was then returned to service. The City routinely tests every Potable Water Well and 25 Residential Services monthly for Microbiological Contaminants