Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Hardee County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
1010 well testing events on record, covering
22 analytes.
Data spans 1923 to 2025.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. FL Avg
Iron
505
1923–2025
99%
3% of limit
↓ 99% below
Sulfate
717
1923–2025
100%
10% of limit
↓ 63% below
Lead
46
1976–2024
91%
1% of limit
↓ 58% below
Manganese
468
1986–2025
99%
1% of limit
↓ 96% below
Arsenic
47
1972–2024
94%
3% of limit
↓ 78% below
Chloride
902
1923–2025
100%
5% of limit
↓ 90% below
PFNA
municipal
2
2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
2
2025
0%
—
—
Fluoride
655
1951–2025
98%
17% of limit
↑ 139% above
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
2
2025
0%
—
—
Nitrite
34
1971–1994
79%
0% of limit
↓ 100% below
Nitrate
45
1962–1994
82%
0% of limit
↓ 100% below
PFHxS
municipal
2
2025
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
2
2025
0%
—
—
Uranium
3
1979–1988
33%
0% of limit
↓ 97% below
Sodium
625
1962–2025
100%
—
↓ 85% below
pH
690
1951–2025
100%
—
~ typical
Hardness
101
1923–1996
100%
—
~ typical
Total Coliform
83
2013–2024
100%
—
~ typical
E. coli
35
2021–2024
100%
—
~ typical
Fecal Coliform
46
2013–2021
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
2
2025
0%
—
—
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 Hardee County
Of the 47 arsenic tests on record for Hardee County (1972–2024),
6% found none, and half were below 0.28 µg/L.
Of the 902 chloride tests on record for Hardee County (1923–2025),
0% found none, and half were below 12 mg/L.
Of the 655 fluoride tests on record for Hardee County (1951–2025),
2% found none, and half were below 650 µg/L.
Of the 505 iron tests on record for Hardee County (1923–2025),
1% found none, and half were below 8.5 µg/L.
Of the 46 lead tests on record for Hardee County (1976–2024),
9% found none, and half were below 0.2 µg/L.
Of the 468 manganese tests on record for Hardee County (1986–2025),
1% found none, and half were below 0.475 µg/L.
Of the 45 nitrate tests on record for Hardee County (1962–1994),
18% found none.
Of the 717 sulfate tests on record for Hardee County (1923–2025),
0% found none, and half were below 24.5 mg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 505 samples
Sulfate 717 samples
Lead 46 samples
Manganese 468 samples
Arsenic 47 samples
Chloride 902 samples
Fluoride 655 samples
Nitrite 34 samples
Nitrate 45 samples
Sodium 625 samples
pH 690 samples
Hardness 101 samples
Total Coliform 83 samples
E. coli 35 samples
Fecal Coliform 46 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Uranium 3 samples
No private-well PFAS data for Hardee County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Hardee County.
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 Hardee County
34Active public water systems
17,518Residents on public water
42%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Hardee 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 Hardee 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.
This report aggregates data from the following public databases:
Water Quality Portal (WQP) — groundwater sample results for Hardee County from EPA, USGS, and state agencies. Browse WQP data →
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — public water system inventory used to estimate the share of residents on private wells. Browse SDWIS →
Census ACS 5-Year Estimates — well and cistern household counts (variable DP04_0074E) used to calculate the private-well percentage for Hardee County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Hardee County, which informs which contaminants are geologically likely. USGS Aquifer Atlas →
EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2025) — PFAS occurrence data from public water systems, used as a proxy indicator for aquifer PFAS exposure. Rows marked "municipal" in the table above come from this source. About UCMR 5 →
EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) — industrial facility chemical releases near Hardee County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Hardee County, used in contamination risk scoring. Superfund site search →
CDC PLACES — county-level health outcome prevalence (kidney disease, cancer, heart disease) correlated with detected contaminants. About CDC PLACES →
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.