Understanding Your Drinking Water Quality Report

Providing High Quality Drinking Water for Winter Springs

Water Quality Testing

Winter Springs’ drinking water comes from the Upper Floridan Aquifer. Our water is regularly sampled, closely monitored, and thoroughly treated using common and proven aeration and purification techniques.

Our team of trained and licensed operators collect and conduct hundreds of water quality samples and tests each year. Independent and nationally-accredited laboratories confirm that Winter Springs’ drinking water is safe and clean.

Understanding Test Results

In 2021, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) performed its annual assessment of the Winter Springs drinking water treatment system. Their independent assessment confirms that the Winter Springs water meets the highest Federal and State water quality standards.

2021 Drinking Water Quality Test Results

DEP’s assessment results are based on samples taken for the period of January 1 through December 31, 2021. The key questions:

1How’s the quality?
Great! The assessment is designed to verify drinking water purity and identify potential areas for improvement. Winter Springs’ drinking water earned high marks for quality.
2What is “color” in our drinking water?
Color is a measure of the visible “tint” of the water. Federal water quality guidelines include non-enforceable “Maximum Contaminant Levels” (MCLs) in drinking water at which there is no known or expected risk to health.
3What is a Water Color “violation”?
A water color “violation” occurs when the amount of “Naturally Occuring Organics” in drinking water exceeds the recommended MCL. The MCL for drinking water is 15 “color units.” A single assessment performed in January 2020 detected 17 “color units” in a sample of drinking water — a level that does not affect the water’s quality and is not harmful to health.
4What explains the slight color?
Florida’s DEP tests for something called “Naturally Occuring Organics,” which are commonly found in water throughout Florida’s Aquifer. DEP’s tests found normal levels of these natural compounds, which are safe to drink but can create a slight color in tap water.
5Has the city fixed the color issue?
Yes! This finding is more than two years old. Prior to and since this finding, dozens of water quality assessments have not found any indicators of heightened color levels. Winter Springs has also completed a major drinking water treatment plant upgrade and is continuing to improve drinking water aesthetics and upgrades at all three of its plants.
6Why include an old finding?
Florida’s DEP performs its assessment of naturally occurring organics every three years. DEP requires that the January 2020 test result remain on the annual drinking water quality report until the next time they perform this test in 2023. Dozens of samples taken by the city’s licensed and trained operators — tested by independent and accredited laboratories — confirm that naturally occurring organics have fallen below the federal MCL and would pass a DEP assessment if performed today.