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Polk County, Florida — public water systems

At a glance

401 active public water systems are filed under Polk County, Florida in EPA's SDWIS records, together reporting 672,540 people served. The largest is City of Lakeland, which reports serving 193,297 people. 149 are community water systems serving people where they live; the other 252 are non-community systems, such as schools, workplaces, campgrounds and gas stations with their own supply.

Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO, refreshed quarterly.

Active systems

401

Population served

672.5K

Community systems

149

Groundwater share

100%

How does Polk County compare with other Florida counties?

Polk County has the 3rd-most active public water systems among the 138 counties listed for active Florida systems in EPA records; among the 71 with 3 or more systems, the median has 41. Its systems report 672,540 people served in total, the 10th-largest county figure in the state and 3% of the statewide total. The average system here reports serving 1,677 people, about 61% below the Florida average of 4,345. Population figures are what each system reports; people served by more than one system, such as a wholesaler and the town that buys from it, are counted by each.

Where does Polk County's drinking water come from?

By primary water source, Polk County's active systems draw on groundwater (396, 99%) and purchased groundwater (5, 1.2%). Overall, all rely mainly on groundwater (including purchased groundwater) and none on surface water, compared with 98% and 2.1% across Florida. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. The county's largest system, City of Lakeland, draws primarily on groundwater.

What kinds of water systems operate in Polk County?

Polk County's active systems break down as 149 community systems (37%), 51 non-transient non-community systems (13%) and 201 transient non-community systems (50%). A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. A non-transient non-community water system regularly serves at least 25 of the same people for more than six months a year, but not where they live. Schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals with their own supply are typical examples. A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. EPA lists their owner types as private (85%), local government (11%), state government (2.2%) and public/private partnership (1.7%).

The 50 largest water systems in Polk County

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Active public water systems in Polk County, Florida
#Water systemCountyPopulation servedTypeSource
1Lakeland, City ofPolk193,297CommunityGroundwater
2Winter Haven Water DepartmentPolk87,537CommunityGroundwater
3NortheastPolk60,557CommunityGroundwater
4Southwest/Polk County UtilityPolk39,209CommunityGroundwater
5Auburndale, City ofPolk35,239CommunityGroundwater
6Haines City, City ofPolk30,545CommunityGroundwater
7NorthwestPolk28,082CommunityGroundwater
8Bartow, City ofPolk21,501CommunityGroundwater
9Lake Wales, City ofPolk18,722CommunityGroundwater
10CentralPolk13,595CommunityGroundwater
11Davenport, City ofPolk9,043CommunityGroundwater
12Lake Alfred, City ofPolk5,584CommunityGroundwater
13City of Fort MeadePolk5,455CommunityGroundwater
14East Water SystemPolk5,052CommunityGroundwater
15Wahneta Water SystemPolk4,500CommunityGroundwater
16Sws - Cypress LakesPolk4,065CommunityGroundwater
17Dundee, Town ofPolk3,824CommunityGroundwater
18Mulberry, City ofPolk3,780CommunityGroundwater
19Frostproof, City ofPolk3,425CommunityGroundwater
20Avon Park Correctional InstitutionPolk3,000CommunityGroundwater
21SoutheastPolk2,828CommunityGroundwater
22Publix Industrial CenterPolk2,783Non-transient non-communityGroundwater
23Mount Olive EstatesPolk2,724CommunityGroundwater
24Eagle Lake, City ofPolk2,600CommunityGroundwater
25Polk City SystemPolk2,568CommunityGroundwater
26Gold Coast UtilityPolk2,500CommunityGroundwater
27Lake Hamilton, Town ofPolk2,430CommunityGroundwater
28Babson ParkPolk2,161CommunityGroundwater
29Grenelefe ResortPolk2,114CommunityGroundwater
30Westgate River Ranch ; Rv ResortPolk2,100CommunityGroundwater
31City of Lake Wales/Park Water CompanyPolk1,948CommunityGroundwater
32Swiss Golf ; Tennis ClubPolk1,900CommunityGroundwater
33Lake Gibson EstatesPolk1,897CommunityGroundwater
34Foxwood Lake EstatesPolk1,816CommunityPurchased groundwater
35Four Lakes Golf ClubPolk1,600CommunityGroundwater
36Camp Inn Associates, LLCPolk1,500CommunityGroundwater
37Outdoor ResortsPolk1,500CommunityGroundwater
38Polk Correctional InstitutionPolk1,500CommunityGroundwater
39Waverly Water SystemPolk1,479CommunityGroundwater
40Swiss Village MHPPolk1,410CommunityGroundwater
41Deer Creek Rv Golf ; Country ClubPolk1,300CommunityPurchased groundwater
42Bradley Junction, Town ofPolk1,260CommunityGroundwater
43Saddlebag Lake ResortPolk1,200CommunityGroundwater
44Florida Camp InnPolk1,150CommunityGroundwater
45Sunlake Terrace Water SystemsPolk1,000CommunityGroundwater
46Lake Region Mobile Home VillagePolk930CommunityGroundwater
47Galloway Shell Circle KPolk900Transient non-communityGroundwater
48Circle K # 7087-District 1150Polk900Transient non-communityGroundwater
49Circle K # 7321Polk900Transient non-communityGroundwater
50Circle K # 7347Polk883Transient non-communityGroundwater

All other water systems in Polk County (351)

The remaining active systems filed under Polk County, largest first, with the population each reports serving.

Polk County water systems: frequently asked questions

How many public water systems are in Polk County, Florida?

EPA's SDWIS records file 401 active public water systems under Polk County, Florida: 149 community systems (37%), 51 non-transient non-community systems (13%) and 201 transient non-community systems (50%).

Who supplies drinking water in Polk County, FL?

The largest community water systems filed under Polk County are City of Lakeland (193,297 people served), Winter Haven Water Department (87,537 people served) and Northeast (60,557 people served). Which system serves a particular address depends on its service area, which EPA's SDWIS records do not include; a water bill or the local utility can confirm it.

Does Polk County's drinking water come from groundwater or surface water?

Of the 401 active public water systems in Polk County, all draw mainly on groundwater and none on surface water, counting purchased supplies. The largest system, City of Lakeland, uses groundwater.

Where can I find a water quality report for Polk County?

Each community water system must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1, covering the previous calendar year. 149 community systems are filed under Polk County, so the report to look for is the one from the system that supplies your address.

How can I check violations for a water system in Polk County?

Open the system's profile from the list on this page. Each profile shows the most recent Safe Drinking Water Act violations in EPA's records, with plain-English labels and whether each one is resolved. For current compliance status, EPA ECHO is the primary source.

More Florida water systems

About this data

Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.

Cite as: AquaCensus, “Public water systems in Polk County, Florida”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/florida/polk (data as of October 1, 2026).