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PANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEM vs MDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM

Water quality comparison — risk levels, violations, PFAS records, and contaminants

Quick Answer

Both utilities share the same risk level (safe). PANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEM has 0 open health-based violations and 116 PFAS records. MDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM has 0 open health-based violations and 232 PFAS records.

PANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEM

Florida · FL1030517

Overall Risk Level

No Concerns Detected

No Concern
Low
Moderate
High
Critical

Water meets all safety standards with no detected exceedances.

0

Open violations

116

PFAS records

MDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM

Florida · FL4130871

Overall Risk Level

No Concerns Detected

No Concern
Low
Moderate
High
Critical

Water meets all safety standards with no detected exceedances.

0

Open violations

232

PFAS records

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricPANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEMMDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM
StateFloridaFlorida
Risk LevelNo Concerns DetectedNo Concerns Detected
Population Served36,1392,377,460
Open Health Violations00
Total Violations1124
PFAS Records116232
OwnershipLocalLocal
Service TypeSurface waterGroundwater
City ServedPanama CityMiami

Contaminants in Violation Records

PANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEM

  • Coliform (TCR)
  • Lead
  • Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
  • Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
  • Nitrate

MDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM

  • Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
  • Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
  • Coliform (TCR)
  • E. coli
  • Lead

Key Differences

PANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEM has 116 PFAS records vs. 232 for MDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM.

What Should I Do?

If either utility shows open violations or elevated PFAS records, consider:

  • Installing a reverse osmosis filter — removes PFAS, lead, arsenic, nitrates, and most heavy metals.
  • Requesting your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) for the most current test results.
  • Ordering a certified lab water test if you want contaminant-specific data for your address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is safer — PANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEM or MDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM?

Both utilities share the same risk level (safe). Both utilities have similar violation profiles — review the full data above to decide based on specific contaminants that concern you.

What does "open health-based violation" mean?

An open health-based violation means a water system has exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or failed to meet a treatment technique — and the violation has not yet been resolved. These are the most serious type of water quality violations.

How current is this data?

Violation data comes from EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), which is updated as utilities report. PFAS data comes from EPA's UCMR 5 monitoring (2023–2025). Risk levels are recalculated daily.

What does PWSID mean?

PWSID stands for Public Water System ID — a unique federal identifier assigned to each community water system. You can use it to look up a system in EPA's ECHO database.

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