Table of Contents
Can You Drink Tap Water in Cape Coral?
Yes, Cape Coral's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as Cape Coral has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page or the city's water provider website.
According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, Cape Coral's water utility, City of Cape Coral, had 0 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for Cape Coral was resolved on Jan. 31, 2011. This assessment is based on the City of Cape Coral water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.
While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.
The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.
Water Quality Report for Cape Coral Tap Water
The most recent publicly available numbers for measured contaminant levels in Cape Coral tap water are in its 2020 Water Quality Report. As you can see, there are levels which the EPA considers to be acceptable, but being below the maximum allowable level doesn’t necessarily mean the water is healthy.
Lead in tap water, for example, is currently allowed at up to 15ppb by the EPA, but it has set the ideal goal for lead at zero. This highlights how meeting EPA standards doesn’t necessarily mean local tap water is healthy.
EPA regulations continue to change as it evaluates the long term impacts of chemicals and updates drinking water acceptable levels. The rules around arsenic, as well as, lead and copper are currently being re-evaluated.
There are also a number of "emerging" contaminants that are not currently. For example, PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), for which the EPA has issued a health advisory. PFAS are called "forever chemicals" since they tend not to break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time.
We recommend looking at the contaminants present in Cape Coral's water quality reports, or getting your home's tap water tested to see if you should be filtering your water.
Cape Coral Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years
Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named City of Cape Coral for Cape Coral in Florida. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.
From Jan. 1, 2011 to Jan. 31, 2011, Cape Coral had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Total Coliform Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Coliform (TCR).
Is there Lead in Cape Coral Water?
Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the Cape Coral water system, City of Cape Coral, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.0011 mg/L of lead in Cape Coral water. This is 7.3% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from Cape Coral contained more lead.
While Cape Coral water testing may have found 0.0011 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.
No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.
Are there PFAS in Cape Coral Tap Water?
Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be no military bases near Cape Coral with suspected leaks.
With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if Cape Coral has been evaluated for yet.
Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.
Cape Coral SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years
| Compliance Period | Status | Health-Based? | Category Code | Code | Rule Code | Contaminant Code | Rule Group Code | Rule Family Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/01/2011 - 01/31/2011 | Resolved | No | Monitoring and Reporting (MR) | Monitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) (25) | Total Coliform Rule (110) | Coliform (TCR) (3100) | Microbials (100) | Total Coliform Rules (110) |
What do these Violations Mean?
Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.
Health Based Violations
- Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
- Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
- Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.
Non-Health Based Violations
- Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
- Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
- Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.
SDWA Table Key
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Compliance Period | Dates of the compliance period. |
| Status |
Current status of the violation.
|
| Health-Based? | Whether the violation is health based. |
| Category Code |
The category of violation that is reported.
|
| Code | A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table. |
| Contaminant Code | A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation. |
| Rule Code |
Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
|
| Rule Group Code |
Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
|
| Rule Family Code |
Code for rule family.
|
For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.
Cape Coral Water - Frequently Asked Questions
| By Phone: | 239-242-3200 |
| By Mail: | POST OFFICE BOX 150027 CAPE CORAL, FL, 33915-0027 |
Existing customers can login to their City of Cape Coral account to pay their Cape Coral water bill by clicking here.
If you want to pay your City of Cape Coral bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your Cape Coral water bill.
If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your Cape Coral water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.
Moving to a new house or apartment in Cape Coral means you will often need to put the water in your name with City of Cape Coral. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.
Leaving your house or apartment in Cape Coral means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with City of Cape Coral. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.
The estimated price of bottled water
$1.09 in USD (1.5-liter)
USER SUBMITTED RATINGS
- Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility
- Water Pollution
- Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility
- Water Quality
The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Cape Coral, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).
Related FAQS
Cape Coral Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report)
The EPA mandates that towns and cities consistently monitor and test their tap water. They must report their findings in an annual Consumer Confidence Report. Below is the most recent water quality report from Cape Coral's Water. If you would like to see the original version of the report, please click here.
City of Cape Coral Page 1
2020 Annual Consumer Report on the Quality of Tap Water
Page 1
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR UTILITIES DIRECTOR
Dear Valued Customer:
This Annual Water Quality Report affords us the opportunity to make you aware of the high quality water that flows from your tap. We already know you appreciate the value of water, as most of our customers are extremely conservation-minded. Because of you, Cape Coral Utilities is among the leaders in per-capita drinking water usage, with some of the lowest usage numbers in the state. We thank you for your continued efforts to conserve water, one of our most precious natural resources. And thanks to the
Jeff Pearson efforts of our hard-working and dedicated employees, you can be confident that this clean, safe, reliable and award-winning drinking water will continue to be available at your tap
and at your command.
UTILITIES DEPARTMENT
Page 2
Annual Consumer Report on the Quality of Tap Water for 2020
Introduction
The City of Cape Coral is committed to providing residents with a safe and reliable supply of
This report contains information on the results of testing for potentially harmful contaminants in your tap water. The information in this report can be summarized as follows:
The City of Cape Coral’s drinking water meets or surpasses
all federal and state drinking water standards.
We encourage public interest and participation in our community’s decisions affecting drinking water. City Council meetings are held every other Wednesday at 4:30 P.M. at City Hall Council Chambers. The public is welcome. The upcoming agenda is posted on the bulletin board at City Hall or available
Treatment Plant History
The City of Cape Coral Southwest Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant is the oldest continuously operating RO treatment facility in the world. The original plant was built in 1977 with a 3 million gallon per day (MGD) production capability to supplement the city's existing Lime Softening Treatment Plant (2 MGD). In 1980, the city expanded the facility to 5 MGD. At that time, the City was experiencing problems with it's Lime Softening Plant due to salt water intrusion into the wellfield (Upper Hawthorne Aquifer). The City also was experiencing a rapid growth in population. Faced with these two issues, the city decided to abandon the Lime Softening Plant and initiate a major expansion of the RO Plant. Cape Coral would be the first city of significant size in the United States to make the decision to rely completely on reverse osmosis treatment as its only means of producing potable water.
The decision paid off. By 1985, the city had the largest low pressure reverse osmosis plant in the world, capable of produc- ing 15 MGD. The plant was producing water at a cost that was cheaper than the Lime Softening Plant and it had tapped into a source water supply (Upper Floridan Aquifer) that would provide enough water for many years to come. Although produc- tion capability remained the same for more than 20 years, many changes took place at the plant during that time. The city kept pace with changing technologies and completed many upgrades and retrofits. These technology improvements in- cluded: more efficient low pressure membranes, variable frequency drives, computer automation, etc. Despite being the oldest plant of its kind, these changes allowed the plant to continue to be a "state of the art" facility producing high quality po- table water at a reasonable cost.
Due to a rapid increase in population and a planned major expansion of the utilities service area, the city began design work in 2005 to expand the production capacity of the Southwest Plant from 15 MGD to 18 MGD. This increased capacity would ensure that the city had a sufficient supply of potable water until an additional RO Plant could be designed and built in the northern part of the city. The expansion at the existing plant was completed in 2008. The new North RO Plant (12 MGD) was completed and
Water Source
The source of the City of Cape Coral’s municipal potable water supply is groundwater from the Upper Floridan Aquifer. Local geologists have estimated that this aquifer has a sufficient supply of water to support the future growth of Cape Coral. The recharge areas for the Upper Floridan Aquifer have been determined to be an area encompassing the
Because of its mineral content, brackish water is the term used to describe the quality of the source water. Minerals are com- pounds commonly found in nature, like salts. The amount of minerals found in water are expressed as dissolved solids. The city’s source water has a total dissolved solids (TDS) content of approximately 2,300 parts per million (ppm), as opposed to the TDS of seawater, which is approximately 35,000 ppm.
There are 55 wells at a depth of approximately 700 to 800 feet that tap this water supply. The wellfield for the Southwest RO Plant has 33 wells located in the southwestern part of the city. Wells are located around the plant grounds and in or near the medians of Agualinda Boulevard, Chiquita Boulevard, Gleason Parkway, and Trafalgar Parkway. The wellfield for the North RO Plant has 22 wells located in the northern part of the city. Wells are located around the plant grounds and in lots near Kismet Parkway, Diplomat Parkway, Chiquita Boulevard North, and Del Prado Boulevard North. In 2020 the Department of Environmental Protection performed a Source Water Assessment on our system. The assessment was conducted to pro- vide information about any potential sources of contamination in the vicinity of our wells. There are 12 potential sources of contamination identified for our system with low susceptibility levels. The assessment results are available on the FDEP
Page 3
Source Water Assessment and Protection Program website at dep.state.fl.us/swapp.
The depth of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, the significant confining layers of earth above it, our stringent well construction methods, and our wellhead protection program, help to protect our source water from
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) is the opposite of osmosis, a process occurring in nature. Osmosis can be defined as the passage of a liquid from a fresh water solution to a more concentrated salt water solution across a
(Figure 1) |
(Figure 2) |
Diagram Source: Hitachi, Ltd. (http://www.hitachi.com/environment/showcase/solution/industrial/desalination_plant.html)
Copyright in these documents published on Hitachi
Treatment Process
Source water entering the plant is called raw water. Upon entry, sulfuric acid to lower the pH, and a scale inhibitor to prevent scaling, are added by injection. Addition of these two chemicals is commonly referred to as pretreatment. At this point, the raw water becomes the feed water. After pretreatment the feed water passes through a series of cartridge filters. They work similar to a pool filter, removing sand, silt, etc.
Upon passing through the cartridge filters, the water is pumped with high pressure pumps into the RO production units for primary treatment. When the feed water travels across the RO membrane elements, it is separated into usable (product) and
The amount of concentrate removed in the RO process is approximately 20% of the feed water entering the system. The concentrate water is not drinkable nor is it suitable for irrigation due to the high dissolved solids concentration.
After the RO units separate the water into product and concentrate, the product water flows toward the degasifiers. Product water coming out of the RO units is of such high purity that it has little or no hardness. Prior to entering the degasifiers, some raw water is blended with the product water to increase alkalinity and hardness to a moderate level. This produces a more stable finished water for corrosion control. At this point, the water is called blend product. Approximately 20% of the total blend product is blend water.
The blend product water now enters the degasifiers where a final contaminant needing removal, hydrogen sulfide, is stripped from the water. Hydrogen sulfide produces the objectional sulfur or “rotten egg” odor often found in well water. Blend product water cascades down packing in the degasifiers. It is forcibly mixed with air from a blower. The air strips the hydrogen sulfide from the water, and the combined hydrogen sulfide and air leaves through a tower connected to the top of the degasifiers. The water now falls into the clearwell where chlorine and caustic soda are added. Chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) is added for disinfection and removal of any remaining hydrogen sulfide not removed by the degasifiers. Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) also is added to raise the pH of the water. This pH adjustment is the final step in the process of stabilizing the water for corrosion control. From the clearwell, the water is pumped to storage tanks where it is called finished water. At this point, it is available for pumping to the consumer.
Page 4
Water Quality Data Table
The City of Cape Coral routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws. This table is based upon tests conducted in the year 2020. Because of our consistent compliance with testing require- ments and results that regularly exceed federal and state
As water travels over the land or underground it can pick up substances or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It is important to remember that the presence of these contami- nants does not necessarily pose a health risk.
The Water Quality Data Table lists only the contaminants that were detected. In addition to these, we also tested for many other contaminants that were not detected. Results from the most recent testing required by EPA, show that the following contaminants were not detected:
E. Coli, Antimony, Arsenic, Asbestos, Beryllium, Cadmium, Color, Cyanide, Foaming Agents, Lead (point of entry), Mercury, Nickel, Nitrite, Nitrate, Selenium Thallium,
Water Quality Data Table Terms and Abbreviations
In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms, we’ve provided the following definitions:
AL: Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
pCi/L: picocuries per liter - a measure of the radioactivity in water.
ppm: parts per million - one part by weight of analyte to 1 million parts by weight of the water sample.
ppb: parts per billion - one part by weight of analyte to 1 billion parts by weight of the water sample.
MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level - the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level - the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that the addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
MRDLG: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal - the level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial con- taminants.
ND: Not Detected - means not detected and indicates that the substance was not found by laboratory analysis.
Note: MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated con- stituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a
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Contaminant |
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Date |
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Unit |
MCL |
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MCLG |
Detected |
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Range |
Likely Source of Contamination |
MCL |
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Sampled |
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of Results |
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Violation |
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(mo/yr) |
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Yes/No |
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Radioactive Contaminants (Southwest R.O. Plant Point of Entry) |
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Alpha Emitters |
03/06/17 |
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pCi/L |
15 |
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0 |
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6.85 |
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n/a |
Erosion of natural deposits |
No |
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Combined Radium |
03/06/17 |
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pCi/L |
5 |
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0 |
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2.50 |
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n/a |
Erosion of natural deposits |
No |
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Radioactive Contaminants (North R.O. Plant Point of Entry) |
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Alpha Emitters |
01/07/20 |
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pCi/L |
15 |
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0 |
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5.2 |
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n/a |
Erosion of natural deposits |
No |
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Combined Radium |
01/07/20 |
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pCi/L |
5 |
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0 |
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3.1 |
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n/a |
Erosion of natural deposits |
No |
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Inorganic Contaminants (Southwest R.O. Plant Point of Entry) |
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Barium |
01/07/20 |
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ppm |
2 |
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2 |
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0.0037 |
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n/a |
Discharge from drilling wastes; Discharge |
No |
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from metal refineries; Erosion of natural |
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deposits |
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Fluoride |
01/07/20 |
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ppm |
4 |
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4 |
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0.49 |
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n/a |
Erosion from natural deposits; Discharge |
No |
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from fertilizer and aluminum factories. Water |
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additive which promotes strong teeth when |
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at the optimum level of 0.7 ppm |
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Sodium |
01/07/20 |
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ppm |
160 |
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n/a |
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99 |
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n/a |
Salt water intrusion, leaching from soil |
No |
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Inorganic Contaminants (North R.O. Plant Point of Entry) |
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Barium |
01/07/20 |
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ppm |
2 |
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2 |
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0.0072 |
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n/a |
Discharge from drilling wastes; Discharge |
No |
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from metal refineries; Erosion of natural |
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deposits |
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Sodium |
01/07/20 |
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ppm |
160 |
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n/a |
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110 |
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n/a |
Salt water intrusion, leaching from soil |
No |
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Stage 1 Disinfectant and Disinfection |
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Chlorine |
2020 |
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ppm |
4 |
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4 |
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1.3 |
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Water additive to control microbes |
No |
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Monthly |
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Stage 2 Disinfectant and Disinfection |
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HAA5 [Haloacetic |
2020 |
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ppb |
60 |
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n/a |
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5.37 |
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No |
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Acids] |
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Quarterly |
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TTHMs [Total |
2020 |
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ppb |
80 |
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n/a |
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39.14 |
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31.95 - |
No |
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Trihalomethanes] |
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Quarterly |
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47.95 |
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Contaminant |
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Date |
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Unit |
AL |
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MCLG |
90th |
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No. of sites |
Likely Source of Contamination |
Violation |
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Sampled |
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(Action |
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exceeding |
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Yes/No |
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(mo/yr) |
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Level) |
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Result |
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the AL |
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Lead and Copper (Tap Water) |
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Copper (tap water) |
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08/20 |
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ppm |
AL=1.3 |
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1.3 |
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0.025 |
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0 |
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Corrosion of household plumbing |
No |
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systems; Erosion of natural deposits; |
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Leaching from wood preservatives |
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Lead (tap water) |
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08/20 |
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ppb |
AL=15 |
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0 |
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0.0011 |
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0 |
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Corrosion of household plumbing |
No |
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systems; Erosion of natural deposits |
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Additional Health Information
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Cape Coral is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Page 6
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves
- Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
-
Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be
naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming. - Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
-
Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are
by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems. -
Radioactive contaminants, which can be
naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.
All drinking water, including bottled water, may rea- sonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that wa- ter poses a health risk. More information about con- taminants and potential health effects can be ob- tained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline
Some people may be more vulnerable to contami- nants in drinking water than is the general popula- tion.
with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium are available from the Safe Drink- ing Water Hotline
Conclusion
Your city drinking water meets or surpasses all federal and state
UILITIES DIVISION
WATER PRODUCTION DIVISION
POST OFFICE BOX 150027
CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA
TELEPHONE: (239)
Page 7
Frequently Asked Questions from Cape Coral City Water Customers
Do I need a water softener if I am on City water?
No, because city water is not hard water. Water hardness is a measure of the soap or detergent consuming power of water. Hardness in water is caused by calcium and magnesium ions. Based on the levels of these constituents in our water, it is considered (by industry standards) to be in the range of soft to moderately hard. This is the most desirable range from a consumer standpoint. Water that is too soft makes it very difficult to remove soap from your hands or detergent from your laundry. Extremely soft water also can lead to premature corrosion of metal piping. Water that is excessively hard is undesirable because it requires an increased use of soap or detergent to adequately clean. Extremely hard water also can lead to excessive scaling of pipes and water fixtures.
My dishwashing machine operator’s manual says that the amount of dishwashing detergent I need to use depends on the grains per gallon of hardness in the water. What is the hardness of city water?
City water has 4 to 5 grains per gallon of total hardness.
We notice a slight chemical taste in the City’s water. Can you tell us what this is? Where we used to live, we had great tasting drinking water.
The slight chemical taste that you may notice is probably chlorine. Although chlorine addition is essential to ensure the safety of your drinking water, it can affect the taste of the water. If the community you came from had a higher mineral or contaminant content in the water, it masked or hid the taste of chlorine in your water. This is why our water tastes a little different. You may wish to remove the chlorine by purchasing an inex- pensive activated carbon (charcoal) filter, which you can install on your kitchen sink. If you should chose to do this, please remember to change these filters on a regular basis as recommended by the manufacturer. We also suggest that you keep a gallon of tap water in your refrigerator. Our groundwater is very warm, it is about 800 F coming out of your tap, and warm water is not as appealing for drinking as cool water.
Is Cape Coral’s city water corrosive?
No, because the City’s RO Plant uses a federal and state approved treatment process to achieve corrosion control. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has established water quality parameters (WQP’s) for our city water. These parameters include operating ranges for pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and the Langelier Index (LI). The LI is the most common index used in water treatment to determine the corro- siveness of water. The City has been using the LI to monitor its’ corrosion control treatment process since the Southwest Plant went
Cape Coral’s city water LI value is positive, which demonstrates that the water is noncorrosive. This result meets the state established WQP’s requirement for corrosion control. The Langelier Index (LI) involves the measurement of pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, total dissolved solids (TDS), and temperature. The LI calculation is performed over 3,000 times per year on a combination of both treated water leaving the plants and water already out in the distribution system. In addition to this testing,
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Lead and Copper Rule in 1992. Under this rule, the EPA mandated very stringent testing procedures for water systems to determine the effectiveness of their corrosion control treatment processes. Lead and copper contamina- tion in drinking water generally occurs from corrosion of household pipes. Therefore, the EPA requires water systems to control the corrosiveness of their water if the level of lead or copper at home taps exceed the action level.
The EPA set the action level for lead at 15 ppb. The most recent tests for lead in the Cape Coral tap water show the 90th percentile results to be well below the action level. The EPA set the action level for copper at 1.30 ppm. The most recent tests for copper show the 90th percentile results to be well below the action level. These current, and past analytical results indicate that the City of Cape Coral water does not cause a lead or copper corrosion problem.
Does Cape Coral add fluoride to the city water supply?
No, we do not add fluoride to our water because fluoride already exists naturally in our groundwater. The RO treatment process used by the City, reduces the amount of natural fluoride to a level in the range of 0.18 to 0.49 ppm at your tap.
Will my home water treatment equipment remove fluoride from my drinking water?
Certain types of home water treatment systems will remove up to 95% of the fluoride present in your water. These include the following treatment units: deionization, distillation, and reverse osmosis. If you use one of these treatment devices, you may want to consult with your dentist about fluoride. Water softeners and activated carbon (charcoal) filters will not remove fluoride from your tap water.
How secure are the City’s water production facilities?
You can be assured that every reasonable effort is being made by the City to protect your drinking water from any potential threat. Major security upgrades have been implemented by the City. Extensive monitoring and surveillance systems are in place. The Utilities Water Production staff is working diligently with the Police and Fire Departments to deal with any potential risk to the water system. You can also help with this effort. If you notice any unusual activity or persons around City water facilities, wells, tanks, fire hydrants, etc., please notify police dispatch at
Contaminants
City of Cape Coral
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Utility details
- Serves: 132737
- Data available: 2012-2017
- Data Source: Groundwater
- Total: 10
Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines
- Chromium (hexavalent)
- Radium%2C combined (-226 & -228)
- Strontium
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
Other Detected Contaminants
- 2%2C4-D
- Barium
- Chlorate
- Fluoride
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Nitrate
Reminder
Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.
Sources and Resources
Sources Cited
Additional Resources
Cape Coral Tap Water
Cape Coral is one of those places that makes you want to turn your head and give you a quizzical look. That is because of all the beautiful things that are going on in this unique community on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Many people come here for the beautiful beaches, the excellent food, and the great shopping. But there is more than just vacation fun in Cape Coral tap water. The water itself has been ranked as one of the best in the world for water purification, and this means that you are getting some of the healthiest water in the world!
Cape Coral offers some of the cleanest water on Earth, which means that you can use it to make some of the best drinks you have ever had. There are many different kinds of products that you can use to get the taste right, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how good some of the concoctions can be. It may seem like a strange thing to say about water, but getting pure water in your body can do wonders for you. If you want to keep your body hydrated, and if you’re going to stay healthy, using pure water from Cape Coral can work for you!
You can also take advantage of the excellent water supply that is available in this city, as well. There are over 400 treatment centers in Cape Coral, and they are all fully operational. That means that they can give you the best water available, no matter what kind of taste you are trying to get rid of. When you are shopping around, you will find that one of the best places to shop for pure water is online. Several different websites offer you nothing but reviews on all kinds of other water purification systems. By looking at them, you can quickly figure out which ones are best for you!
Cape Coral Drinking Water
Cape Coral is located on the east coast of Florida in Florida and is a small city. Cape Coral is a popular vacation spot for both tourists and locals alike because of the beautiful beaches, the laid-back lifestyle, and the beautiful water supply. The water in Cape Coral has been tested more than once, and each testing result was satisfactory. The water has been deemed “safe” for human consumption by every health testing authority that has tested it since the water was first discovered. The reason that tests were conducted was to find out if anything would pose a threat to the public’s health, particularly the residents of the small town of Cape Coral.
Testing the water in Cape Coral was not easy because there is no way to tell what levels of chemicals will be present in the water without trying all of Florida’s water supplies. You see, Florida is a no-chemical-use zone, which means that all of the water that you and your family drink, bathe in, use for cooking, and even shower in must be tested for contamination at some point. Unfortunately, there is no way to know just how long ago the water was tested or just how many samples were taken. The only thing you can do to find out about the water quality in Cape Coral is to get the quality certificate from the local water testing agency. This certification will tell you just how clean the water in Cape Coral is and the exact levels of different chemicals present.
If you live in Cape Coral and are concerned about the quality of the water in your area, you should take action now and get yourself a quality water testing kit so that you can determine just how clean the water in your region is. You don’t have to live with suspect drinking water any longer. It would help if you acted now before it gets worse. Don’t wait for another day to act. Cape Coral needs its water supply to be healthy and pure. It will be when you get a quality water testing kit and test the water that comes out of your tap.
Cape Coral Water Supply
A Cape Coral water supply point is an important place to have a backup supply of water in case of a power outage, a storm, or another emergency type. During the year, there are storms in the area that can be devastating to a home and property if proper preparations were not made beforehand. Cape Coral is one of the most commonly damaged cities in the entire United States, and it pays to be prepared for the worst so that you do not lose everything in a blink of an eye.
One of the best defenses against hurricanes and other types of storms is your water supply. It should be at least one mile away from the building you live in, especially if most of the land is within an arm’s length. It would help if you also had it at least one mile away from any structure that can be damaged by flying debris such as tree limbs and other blown-out objects. The last thing you need to happen is to have water surge through your basement while filling up with water from a broken pipe or blown out the roof. This could cause all kinds of damage, including flooding, mold, and other health hazards.