Tampa Convention Center Gasparilla

Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR)

The Importance of UCMR Testing

The Tampa Water Department conducts over 8,000 water quality tests every year to ensure that your drinking water is safe to drink and in compliance with all federal and state drinking water standards. 

Every five years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implements the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR). The purpose of UCMR is to collect data from utilities like ours about contaminants that may be present in drinking water. The EPA uses this data to decide if specific contaminants occur at frequencies and concentrations high enough to be regulated in the future. 
 
Trace amounts of naturally occurring or man-made substances can sometimes find their way into drinking water supplies, and not all are currently regulated by EPA. Today’s advanced analytical methods can detect contaminants at trace levels, but the presence of trace levels does not necessarily pose a safety concern. 

UCMR testing is part of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. 

UCMR5 Testing 

The Tampa Water Department is participating in the EPA’s fifth round of UCMR testing, known as UCMR5, which requires us to monitor for 30 chemical contaminants using analytical methods approved by EPA. It can be a lengthy process to set drinking water regulations, but it is important that EPA completes its thorough, scientific process to fully understand the potential health impacts, maximum contaminant levels, analytical methods, and treatment methods to provide public utilities with proven, consistent standards. 

The contaminants we are testing include 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as PFAS) and lithium. Testing took place during the 2023 calendar year and during the first and second quarter of 2024 when we purchased water from Tampa Bay Water. Updated results are posted further below on this page. 

It's important to keep in mind that no health standards (for example, maximum contaminant levels) have been established at the present time for any of these unregulated contaminants. 

If you would like more information on the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule (UCMR), please call the federal Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

For more information about Tampa's test results, contact our Utility Call Center at (813) 274-8811. 

UCMR 5 2023 Sampling Results (Entry Point to Distribution)

David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility EPDS

* Recollection required. ND: Not Detected. EPDS: Entry point to the distribution system. µg/L: Micrograms per liter.
Contaminant Minimum Reporting Level Q1 2023 1/9/23 1/18/23 * Q2 2023 4/10/23 Q3 2023 7/17/23 Q4 2023 10/16/23 Range of Results for 2023
11-chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS) 0.002 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO DA) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA) 0.02 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) 0.005 µg/L 0.0057 ND 0.0064 0.0061 ND - 0.0064
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) 0.003 µg/L 0.0044 0.0048 0.0064 0.0060 0.0044 - 0.0064
1H,1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2FTS) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
perfluoro(2-ethoxyethane)sulfonic acid (PFEESA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) 0.003 µg/L ND 0.0039 ND ND ND - 0.0039
1H,1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2FTS) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) 0.003 µg/L ND 0.0040 0.0037 0.0041 ND - 0.0041
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) 0.003 µg/L 0.0033 0.0059 0.0047 0.0045 0.0033 - 0.0059
Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA) 0.004 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) 0.004 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
1H,1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2FTS) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) 0.004 µg/L 0.0040 0.0050 0.0068 0.0069 0.0040 - 0.0069
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) 0.004 µg/L ND ND 0.0044 0.0046 ND - 0.0046
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) 0.003 µg/L 0.0044 0.0084 0.0068 0.0065 0.0044 - 0.0084
Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS) 0.004 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND - ND
Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) 0.002 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND - ND
N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)  0.005 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND - ND
N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA) 0.006 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND - ND
Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA) 0.008 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND - ND
Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA) 0.007 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND - ND
Lithium 9 µg/L ND ND ND ND ND - ND

Morris Bridge EPDS (Purchasing from Tampa Bay Water)

ND: Not Detected. EPDS: Entry point to the distribution system. ug/L: Micrograms per liters.
Contaminant Minimum Reporting Level Q1 2023 - 10/16/23 Q2 2024 1/8/24 Q3 2024 5/30/24
11-chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND
9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS) 0.002 µg/L ND ND ND
4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO DA) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND
Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA) 0.02 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) 0.005 µg/L 0.0061 ND ND
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) 0.003 µg/L 0.0034 0.0038 0.0035
1H,1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2FTS) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
perfluoro(2-ethoxyethane)sulfonic acid (PFEESA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
1H,1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2FTS) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) 0.003 µg/L 0.0057 0.006 0.0051
Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA) 0.004 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA) 0.003 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) 0.004 µg/L ND ND ND
1H,1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2FTS) 0.005 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) 0.004 µg/L ND 0.0044 ND
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) 0.004 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) 0.003 µg/L 0.0075 0.008 0.007
Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS) 0.004 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) 0.002 µg/L ND ND ND
N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)  0.005 µg/L ND ND ND
N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA) 0.006 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA) 0.008 µg/L ND ND ND
Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA) 0.007 µg/L ND ND ND
Lithium 9 µg/L ND ND ND