Data & Methodology — Indian River County

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

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

192 well testing events on record, covering 23 analytes. Data spans 1951 to 2024.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. FL Avg
Radon 5 2008–2019 100%
89% of limit ↑ 203% above
Chloride 183 1951–2025 100%
52% of limit ~ typical
PFOS municipal 8 2023–2025 25%
211% of limit ~ typical
Iron 166 1986–2025 99%
5% of limit ↓ 97% below
Sulfate 168 1970–2025 99%
37% of limit ↑ 41% above
Manganese 167 1986–2025 99%
2% of limit ↓ 92% below
PFNA municipal 8 2023–2025 0%
PFOA municipal 8 2023–2025 0%
Arsenic 166 2008–2025 99%
5% of limit ↓ 62% below
Fluoride 21 1970–2025 100%
16% of limit ↑ 132% above
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 8 2023–2025 0%
Nitrite 6 1970–2019 67%
0% of limit ↓ 92% below
Uranium 5 2008–2019 100%
0% of limit ↓ 95% below
Lead 166 2008–2025 99%
0% of limit ↓ 89% below
Nitrate 6 1970–2019 17%
0% of limit ↓ 100% below
PFHxS municipal 8 2023–2025 25%
55% of limit ~ typical
PFBS municipal 8 2023–2025 0%
E. coli 6 2019–2025 83%
~ typical
Fecal Coliform 9 2017–2021 100%
~ typical
Hardness 7 1970–2019 100%
↑ 51% above
Total Coliform 15 2017–2025 100%
~ typical
pH 171 1970–2025 100%
~ typical
Sodium 168 1970–2025 100%
↑ 57% above

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.

Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Chloride 183 samples
  • Iron 166 samples
  • Sulfate 168 samples
  • Manganese 167 samples
  • Arsenic 166 samples
  • Fluoride 21 samples
  • Lead 166 samples
  • Total Coliform 15 samples
  • pH 171 samples
  • Sodium 168 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • Radon 5 samples
  • Nitrite 6 samples
  • Uranium 5 samples
  • Nitrate 6 samples
  • E. coli 6 samples
  • Fecal Coliform 9 samples
  • Hardness 7 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Indian River County

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

17 Active public water systems
168,214 Residents on public water

Public water systems in Indian River 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 Indian River 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 Indian River County Prevalence FL Average Source Year
PFOS Cancer prevalence 6.0% 6.8% 2020

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