Clay County, Florida: drinking water report. Clay County south of Jacksonville has about 219,000 residents, with Green Cove Springs as the county seat.
Clay County south of Jacksonville has about 219,000 residents, with Green Cove Springs as the county seat. Clay County Utility Authority and JEA provide water from the Floridan Aquifer. Camp Blanding Joint Training Center – a Florida National Guard installation used for training by multiple military branches – occupies 73,000 acres in the western part of the county.
Camp Blanding has confirmed PFAS contamination from AFFF firefighting foam. According to the Florida National Guard's 2024 environmental report, monitoring wells near the installation's fire training areas show PFOS at 55 ppt. The contamination is migrating through the sandy soils and fractured limestone toward neighboring residential areas with private wells.
Florida DEP's 2024 investigation found PFAS in three private wells within two miles of Camp Blanding's boundary at concentrations between 8-22 ppt. The county's aquifer also shows naturally elevated iron and hydrogen sulfide – common in northeast Florida's groundwater – that affect taste and aesthetics.
Clay County residents near Camp Blanding face documented PFAS exposure risk. The military has been expanding its residential well testing program, but if you are on a private well within three miles of the installation, proactive testing is recommended.
Check your water for current data. For PFAS at the concentrations found near the base, reverse osmosis provides the highest household removal rate. For sulfur odor and iron, aeration and oxidation systems address the aesthetics. Our water filter guide covers both. Pull your detailed report for local data, and visit our Florida page for statewide patterns.