Data & Methodology — Escambia County

Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Escambia County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

969 well testing events on record, covering 23 analytes. Data spans 1939 to 2025.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. FL Avg
Iron 466 1953–2024 91%
67% of limit ↓ 67% below
PFOA municipal 109 2023–2025 31%
275% of limit ↑ 93% above
PFOS municipal 109 2023–2025 29%
294% of limit ↑ 39% above
Manganese 154 1954–2024 69%
29% of limit ~ typical
PFHxS municipal 109 2023–2025 29%
65% of limit ↑ 27% above
Nitrate 396 1939–2013 98%
1% of limit ↓ 57% below
PFNA municipal 109 2023–2025 2%
148% of limit ↑ 155% above
Chloride 677 1939–2025 100%
2% of limit ↓ 95% below
Arsenic 142 1971–2024 57%
1% of limit ↓ 93% below
Fluoride 342 1953–2025 77%
1% of limit ↓ 88% below
Lead 137 1967–2024 45%
1% of limit ↓ 58% below
Nitrite 351 1958–2013 63%
0% of limit ↓ 100% below
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 109 2023–2025 0%
— —
Radon 4 2009–2013 100%
21% of limit ↓ 28% below
Uranium 4 2009–2013 25%
0% of limit ↓ 97% below
Sulfate 364 1939–2025 97%
1% of limit ↓ 98% below
Hardness 477 1939–2013 100%
— ↓ 97% below
Total Coliform 98 1975–2025 82%
— ~ typical
E. coli 44 2009–2025 94%
— ~ typical
Fecal Coliform 54 1975–2021 62%
— ~ typical
PFBS municipal 109 2023–2025 17%
— ~ typical
Sodium 304 1953–2025 100%
— ↓ 90% below
pH 836 1953–2025 100%
— ↓ 28% below

Distribution shows the share of samples in each concentration band relative to the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): Low = below half the MCL, Moderate = between half and the MCL, High = above the MCL. Analytes without an MCL (e.g. sodium, pH) show — in the limit columns. State average is based on county median values across FL.

Compare your result with Escambia County

Of the 142 arsenic tests on record for Escambia County (1971–2024), 43% found none.

Of the 677 chloride tests on record for Escambia County (1939–2025), 0% found none, and half were below 5.9 mg/L.

Of the 342 fluoride tests on record for Escambia County (1953–2025), 23% found none, and half were below 35 µg/L.

Of the 466 iron tests on record for Escambia County (1953–2024), 9% found none, and half were below 145 µg/L.

Of the 137 lead tests on record for Escambia County (1967–2024), 55% found none.

Of the 154 manganese tests on record for Escambia County (1954–2024), 31% found none, and half were below 9.95 µg/L.

Of the 396 nitrate tests on record for Escambia County (1939–2013), 2% found none, and half were below 140 µg/L.

Of the 364 sulfate tests on record for Escambia County (1939–2025), 3% found none, and half were below 1.45 mg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Iron 466 samples
  • Manganese 154 samples
  • Nitrate 396 samples
  • Chloride 677 samples
  • Arsenic 142 samples
  • Fluoride 342 samples
  • Lead 137 samples
  • Nitrite 351 samples
  • Sulfate 364 samples
  • Hardness 477 samples
  • Total Coliform 98 samples
  • E. coli 44 samples
  • Fecal Coliform 54 samples
  • Sodium 304 samples
  • pH 836 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • Radon 4 samples
  • Uranium 4 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Escambia County

We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Escambia County. PFAS has been detected in local public water systems (UCMR 5 data) — indicated by the "municipal" badge in the table above — but this does not directly indicate private well contamination. PFAS testing for private wells requires a dedicated lab panel (~$300–$500). If you are near a military base, airport, or industrial site, consider testing proactively. Learn more about PFAS →

Public vs. Private Water in Escambia County

16 Active public water systems
349,110 Residents on public water
7% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Escambia County are regulated by the EPA and must test and report contaminant levels. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing — there is no routine monitoring of private wells by any government agency.

CDC Health Outcome Correlations

Where contaminants detected in Escambia County have established associations with specific health outcomes, we cross-reference CDC PLACES county-level prevalence data. This is a contextual signal, not a causal claim.

Contaminant Associated Condition Escambia County Prevalence FL Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 5.9% 6.8% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 2.9% 3.4% 2020
Lead Heart disease rate 7.1% 7.7% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Escambia County CDC PLACES data →

Data Sources

This report aggregates data from the following public databases:

Methodology

Raw records are downloaded from the Water Quality Portal and normalized to µg/L (ppb). Records are deduplicated by sample ID and date, and certified outliers are excluded. Analyte names are mapped to EPA canonical forms. Detection rates, distribution bands, and MCL comparisons are computed from the normalized dataset.

Distribution bands use the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level as the threshold: concentrations below 50% of the MCL are classed as Low, between 50% and 100% as Moderate, and above 100% as High. For analytes without an MCL (sodium, hardness, pH), distribution is not computed.

State comparison uses the median of county median values across all counties in FL with at least one sample for that analyte.

Last updated: 2026-08-12

Full methodology →