Is Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Escambia

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1997-07-01 → 1997-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2019-04-01 → 2019-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2019-04-01 → 2019-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2019-04-01 → 2019-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2015-12-01 → 2015-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2015-12-01 → 2015-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2010-12-01 → 2010-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2010-12-01 → 2010-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2010-12-01 → 2010-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2010-12-01 → 2010-12-31

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFHXS	0.0553 µg/L	25/54	2024
Pfpea	0.1389 µg/L	25/54	2024
PFOA	0.0258 µg/L	24/54	2024
PFOS	0.0357 µg/L	21/54	2024
Pfhxa	0.1110 µg/L	19/54	2024
PFBS	0.0160 µg/L	15/54	2024
Pfhpa	0.0378 µg/L	14/54	2024
6:2 Fts	0.2201 µg/L	4/54	2024
PFNA	0.0162 µg/L	2/54	2024
Pfpes	0.0110 µg/L	2/54	2024
4:2 Fts	0.0076 µg/L	1/54	2024
Pfba	0.0407 µg/L	1/54	2024

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	3445 µg/L 34% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 4200 µg/L	438/440	SYR4	2012–2019
Tetrachloroethylene	2.3055 µg/L 46% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L worst single sample: 4.59 µg/L	110/433	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	800 µg/L 20% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L	92/112	SYR4	2014–2017
TTHM	10.6 µg/L 13% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 12.9 µg/L	63/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	52.5 µg/L 2.6% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 56 µg/L	56/56	SYR4	2014–2017
Trichloroethylene	1.3535 µg/L 27% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L worst single sample: 2.31 µg/L	48/433	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	5.41 µg/L 0.4% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 24 µg/L	39/56	SYR4	2014–2017
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	6.612 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 15.88 µg/L	37/70	SYR4	2012–2019
1,1-Dichloroethylene	1.0165 µg/L 15% of the EPA limit 7 µg/L worst single sample: 1.09 µg/L	28/433	SYR4	2012–2019
Selenium	2.035 µg/L 4.1% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L worst single sample: 2.7 µg/L	20/56	SYR4	2014–2017
Chromium	2.7 µg/L 2.7% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L worst single sample: 4.8 µg/L	16/56	SYR4	2014–2017
Lead	0.00060 mg/L 4% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	16/16	LCR	2023
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene	0.3525 µg/L 0.5% of the EPA limit 70 µg/L worst single sample: 0.3900 µg/L	16/433	SYR4	2012–2019
Cyanide	14.8 µg/L 7.4% of the EPA limit 200 µg/L worst single sample: 16 µg/L	13/56	SYR4	2014–2017
Beryllium, Total	0.4200 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 4 µg/L worst single sample: 0.5000 µg/L	9/56	SYR4	2014–2017
Arsenic	1.72 µg/L 17% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 1.8 µg/L	5/56	SYR4	2014–2017
Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate	0.8000 µg/L 13% of the EPA limit 6 µg/L	4/70	SYR4	2014–2017
Dichloromethane	0.4315 µg/L 8.6% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L worst single sample: 0.4400 µg/L	2/433	SYR4	2012–2019
Styrene	1.338 µg/L 1.3% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L worst single sample: 1.34 µg/L	2/433	SYR4	2012–2019
Chlorobenzene	0.6000 µg/L 0.6% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L	1/433	SYR4	2012–2019
Mercury	0.1000 µg/L 5% of the EPA limit 2 µg/L	1/57	SYR4	2014–2017
Xylenes, Total	0.8400 µg/L 0% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	1/433	SYR4	2012–2019

64 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoLeadMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpsPfmbaPfmpaPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneVinyl ChlorideLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: J. BRUCE WOODY
Phone: 850-969-3373

Frequently asked questions about Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua)

Is Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 34 contaminants in Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua)'s water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua)'s water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, Tetrachloroethylene, Fluoride, TTHM, Barium, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) serve?

Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) reports serving 242,172 people in Florida, per its EPA record.

Has Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 14 violations on file for Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua), of which 1 is health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.