Data & Methodology — Santa Rosa County

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

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

116 well testing events on record, covering 23 analytes. Data spans 1940 to 2024.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. FL Avg
Iron 70 1950–2024 94%
54% of limit ↓ 73% below
Chloride 89 1940–2024 100%
3% of limit ↓ 94% below
PFOS municipal 86 2023–2025 7%
202% of limit ~ typical
Lead 38 1974–2024 89%
2% of limit ↓ 38% below
Arsenic 43 1974–2024 84%
1% of limit ↓ 96% below
Manganese 43 1959–2024 100%
9% of limit ↓ 65% below
Fluoride 74 1950–2024 96%
1% of limit ↓ 88% below
PFHxS municipal 86 2023–2025 13%
57% of limit ~ typical
PFOA municipal 86 2023–2025 2%
262% of limit ↑ 84% above
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 86 2023–2025 0%
— —
Nitrite 13 1973–2013 54%
1% of limit ~ typical
PFNA municipal 86 2023–2025 0%
— —
Radon 5 2009–2013 100%
13% of limit ↓ 56% below
Uranium 5 2009–2013 40%
0% of limit ↓ 98% below
Nitrate 41 1950–2013 95%
0% of limit ↓ 85% below
Sulfate 72 1950–2024 100%
0% of limit ↓ 98% below
Hardness 48 1950–2013 98%
— ↓ 95% below
Total Coliform 30 2009–2024 91%
— ~ typical
E. coli 11 2009–2024 81%
— ~ typical
Fecal Coliform 19 2017–2020 100%
— ~ typical
PFBS municipal 86 2023–2025 3%
— ↓ 28% below
Sodium 76 1950–2024 100%
— ↓ 93% below
pH 80 1950–2024 100%
— ~ typical

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 Santa Rosa County

Of the 43 arsenic tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1974–2024), 16% found none, and half were below 50 ng/L.

Of the 89 chloride tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1940–2024), 0% found none, and half were below 7.72 mg/L.

Of the 74 fluoride tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1950–2024), 4% found none, and half were below 35 µg/L.

Of the 70 iron tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1950–2024), 6% found none, and half were below 130 µg/L.

Of the 38 lead tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1974–2024), 11% found none, and half were below 0.25 µg/L.

Of the 43 manganese tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1959–2024), 0% found none, and half were below 4.6 µg/L.

Of the 41 nitrate tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1950–2013), 5% found none, and half were below 50 µg/L.

Of the 72 sulfate tests on record for Santa Rosa County (1950–2024), 0% found none, and half were below 1 mg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Iron 70 samples
  • Chloride 89 samples
  • Lead 38 samples
  • Arsenic 43 samples
  • Manganese 43 samples
  • Fluoride 74 samples
  • Nitrate 41 samples
  • Sulfate 72 samples
  • Hardness 48 samples
  • Total Coliform 30 samples
  • Fecal Coliform 19 samples
  • Sodium 76 samples
  • pH 80 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • Nitrite 13 samples
  • Radon 5 samples
  • Uranium 5 samples
  • E. coli 11 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Santa Rosa County

We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa County

24 Active public water systems
221,087 Residents on public water
12% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa County Prevalence FL Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 6.1% 6.8% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 2.6% 3.4% 2020
Lead Heart disease rate 6.9% 7.7% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Santa Rosa 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 →