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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 will take place during the 2023 calendar year. Updated results will be posted on a quarterly basis as they are available. 

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)

UCMR V Entry Point to Distribution 2023
Contaminant Minimum Reporting Level Results Q1 2023 Results Q2 2023 Results Q3 2023
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 0.0057 ND 0.0064
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) 0.003 µg/L 0.0044 0.0048 0.0064
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 0.0039 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 0.004 0.0037
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) 0.003 µg/L 0.0033 0.0059 0.0047
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 0.004 0.005 0.0068
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) 0.004 µg/L ND ND 0.0044
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) 0.003 µg/L 0.0044 0.0084 0.0068
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