Every year, your water utility is required by law to send you an Annual Water Quality Report — also called a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Most people throw it away without reading it. That's understandable: the reports are dense, full of acronyms, and written in regulatory language that's hard to parse. But they contain important information about what's actually in your water.
The Difference Between Legal and Safe
The most important thing to understand about your CCR is the difference between the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) — the legal limit — and the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) — the level at which no known health risk exists. These are often very different numbers.
For example, the MCLG for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) — a class of disinfection byproducts formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter — is zero. The EPA acknowledges that no level of TTHMs is without health risk. But the legal MCL is 80 parts per billion. Your utility can legally deliver water with 80 ppb of TTHMs and report it as 'in compliance.'
The EPA's legal limit for a contaminant is not the same as a health-protective limit. Many contaminants have a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) of zero — meaning no level is considered safe — but a legal limit that is much higher.
Common Contaminants in Central Florida Water
- Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs): Disinfection byproducts linked to increased cancer risk with long-term exposure. MCLG: 0. Legal limit: 80 ppb.
- Haloacetic Acids (HAA5s): Another class of disinfection byproducts. MCLG: 0. Legal limit: 60 ppb.
- Chloramines: Used as a disinfectant by Orange County Utilities and Toho Water Authority. Not regulated as a contaminant, but creates TTHMs and HAA5s as byproducts.
- Nitrates: Elevated in some Lake County utilities. Particularly concerning for infants under 6 months. MCLG: 10 mg/L. Legal limit: 10 mg/L (same as MCLG in this case).
- Radium: Naturally occurring in the Floridan Aquifer. Detected at trace levels in some Seminole County utilities. MCLG: 0. Legal limit: 5 pCi/L.
How to Read Your CCR
When you look at your CCR, focus on three columns: the contaminant name, the detected level, and the MCLG (not just the MCL). If the MCLG is zero and your utility is detecting any level of that contaminant, that's worth paying attention to — even if the utility is technically 'in compliance.'
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) maintains a database of utility water quality reports at ewg.org/tapwater that translates CCR data into plain language and compares detected levels to health-based guidelines rather than just legal limits. It's a much more useful tool for understanding what's actually in your water.
What Treatment Addresses These Contaminants
A whole-home carbon filter removes chlorine, chloramines, and significantly reduces TTHMs and HAA5s. A tankless reverse osmosis system at the drinking tap removes nitrates, radium, and virtually all remaining contaminants to below detection levels. Together, they address the full spectrum of what's in Central Florida water.