Public water system · FL6530852
ActiveSouthwest/Polk County Utility
At a glance
Southwest/Polk County Utility (PWSID FL6530852) is an active community water system in Polk County, Florida. It reports serving 39,209 people through 14,104 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
39,209
Service connections
14,104
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Southwest/Polk County Utility compare with other water systems in Polk County?
By EPA's size categories, Southwest/Polk County Utility is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Polk County has 401 active public water systems, and Southwest/Polk County Utility is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 23 times the county average of 1,677 people per system, and accounts for 5.8% of the 672,540 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Florida, the 5,197 active systems average 4,345 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Southwest/Polk County Utility is about 5.8 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
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. Florida has 1,640 active community water systems, 32% of the state's 5,197 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 4,996 Florida systems (96%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Southwest/Polk County Utility?
EPA lists Southwest/Polk County Utility as owned by a local government. The FL state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 46 of the 401 active systems in Polk County (11%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Southwest/Polk County Utility have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2026. The violations listed here began between January 2022 and March 2026. By type: 9 monitoring, 2 monitoring and reporting and 1 reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (10 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved, 1 as archived and 1 as unaddressed. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Archived |
| 2024-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-06-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-05-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-04-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-02-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-06-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-11-01 | ReportingReporting, Assessment Forms (RTCR) · code 4A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2022-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Southwest/Polk County Utility: frequently asked questions
Who runs Southwest/Polk County Utility?
Southwest/Polk County Utility (PWSID FL6530852) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the FL state drinking water program.
How many people does Southwest/Polk County Utility serve?
Southwest/Polk County Utility reports serving 39,209 people through 14,104 service connections in Polk County, Florida.
Where does Southwest/Polk County Utility get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Southwest/Polk County Utility have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2026. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Southwest/Polk County Utility's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2026. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the FL state drinking water program.
Where can I find Southwest/Polk County Utility's water quality report?
As a community water system, Southwest/Polk County Utility must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Polk County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland, City of | Polk | 193,297 | Community | Groundwater |
| Winter Haven Water Department | Polk | 87,537 | Community | Groundwater |
| Northeast | Polk | 60,557 | Community | Groundwater |
| Auburndale, City of | Polk | 35,239 | Community | Groundwater |
| Haines City, City of | Polk | 30,545 | Community | Groundwater |
| Northwest | Polk | 28,082 | Community | Groundwater |
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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, “Southwest/Polk County Utility, PWSID FL6530852, Florida”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/florida/southwest-polk-county-utility-fl6530852 (data as of October 1, 2026).