Dringing water by show999 via iStock for WMNF News.
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Residents in Hillsborough County can now take a closer look at the quality of their water.
The county’s annual water quality reports are now available to the public.
The report, mandated by the US Environmental Protection Agency, tested the water quality in 2025.
Hillsborough County manages 11 water systems, creating 11 different reports spanning 750 thousand customers.
In August of 2025, the South Central water system, which covers areas west of Thonotasassa to the north, all the way South towards Ruskin, was flagged for a Maximum Contaminant Level violation.
The levels of bacteria E. coli exceeded the highest allowable amount of a contaminant set by the EPA.
Valerie Harwood, a professor at the University of South Florida, says these occasional violations are common.
“In other words, if the utility was seeing E. Coli contamination every week or every month, they would definitely have a severe problem, but it’s not uncommon to see it once a year,” Harwood said.
Hillsborough County said it sent a public notice regarding the contaminant.
Frank Fulghum is the manager for the environmental services section at Hillsborough County.
“So really, for the Safe Drinking Water Act, we’re required to take bacteriological samples, for example, submit organics for different years for the communities, and we’re really just trying to make sure that the water meets the Safe Drinking Water Act samples,” Fulghum said.
This report comes the same week as the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted to extend the Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage through Oct. 1, 2026, due to ongoing drought.
Residents are encouraged to follow one-day-per-week watering restrictions with strict watering hours.