Data & Methodology — Sarasota County

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

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

3991 well testing events on record, covering 22 analytes. Data spans 1923 to 2023.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. FL Avg
Sulfate 3541 1923–2025 100%
168% of limit ↑ 538% above
Chloride 3706 1923–2025 100%
32% of limit ↓ 34% below
Arsenic 91 1973–2024 70%
50% of limit ↑ 283% above
PFOA municipal 33 2023–2025 12%
126% of limit ~ typical
Iron 1825 1923–2025 99%
3% of limit ↓ 99% below
Lead 261 1973–2024 18%
4% of limit ↑ 37% above
PFOS municipal 33 2023–2025 3%
103% of limit ↓ 51% below
Manganese 1644 1963–2025 98%
1% of limit ↓ 95% below
Uranium 125 1975–1985 59%
5% of limit ↑ 356% above
Fluoride 2748 1937–2025 99%
38% of limit ↑ 428% above
PFHxS municipal 33 2023–2025 0%
— —
Nitrate 319 1923–2002 90%
0% of limit ↓ 97% below
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 33 2023–2025 0%
— —
Nitrite 121 1970–2022 64%
0% of limit ↓ 68% below
PFNA municipal 33 2023–2025 0%
— —
Total Coliform 26 2017–2024 100%
— ~ typical
Hardness 1483 1923–2002 100%
— ↑ 132% above
pH 2526 1962–2025 100%
— ~ typical
Sodium 2469 1931–2025 100%
— ↓ 26% below
Fecal Coliform 18 1974–2021 69%
— ~ typical
E. coli 8 2021–2024 100%
— ~ typical
PFBS municipal 33 2023–2025 36%
— ~ 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 Sarasota County

Of the 91 arsenic tests on record for Sarasota County (1973–2024), 30% found none, and half were below 1.99 µg/L.

Of the 3706 chloride tests on record for Sarasota County (1923–2025), 0% found none, and half were below 81.2 mg/L.

Of the 2748 fluoride tests on record for Sarasota County (1937–2025), 1% found none, and half were below 1.5 mg/L.

Of the 1825 iron tests on record for Sarasota County (1923–2025), 1% found none, and half were below 8.5 µg/L.

Of the 261 lead tests on record for Sarasota County (1973–2024), 82% found none.

Of the 1644 manganese tests on record for Sarasota County (1963–2025), 2% found none, and half were below 0.69 µg/L.

Of the 319 nitrate tests on record for Sarasota County (1923–2002), 10% found none.

Of the 3541 sulfate tests on record for Sarasota County (1923–2025), 0% found none, and half were below 420 mg/L.

Of the 125 uranium tests on record for Sarasota County (1975–1985), 41% found none, and half were below 0.2 µg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Sulfate 3541 samples
  • Chloride 3706 samples
  • Arsenic 91 samples
  • Iron 1825 samples
  • Lead 261 samples
  • Manganese 1644 samples
  • Uranium 125 samples
  • Fluoride 2748 samples
  • Nitrate 319 samples
  • Nitrite 121 samples
  • Total Coliform 26 samples
  • Hardness 1483 samples
  • pH 2526 samples
  • Sodium 2469 samples
  • Fecal Coliform 18 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • E. coli 8 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Sarasota County

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

81 Active public water systems
486,971 Residents on public water
10% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Sarasota 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 Sarasota 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 Sarasota County Prevalence FL Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 6.1% 6.8% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 4.1% 3.4% 2020
Lead Heart disease rate 5.4% 7.7% 2020

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