Stuart, FL Water Quality (ZIP 34997)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 34997 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 34997 shows high PFAS contamination. EPA testing found a peak of 180 ppt, above the EPA's 4 ppt enforceable limit. A reverse osmosis or certified PFAS filter is strongly recommended.

What filter should I use in 34997? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 34997 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water system serving ZIP 34997 (Stuart, FL). Monitoring found a peak of 180 ppt across 1 system, averaging 30.9 ppt over 6 detected compounds.

Contamination Level: HIGH – High contamination – multiple PFAS compounds detected at levels significantly above EPA safety thresholds.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 34997

• PFOS: 180 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHXS: 79 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFNA: 27 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 23 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFPEA: 0.01 ppt

Lead in ZIP 34997 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 22 lead samples for the system serving 34997, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.007 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

EPA Violations Affecting ZIP 34997

The water system serving 34997 have 5 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including 5000, 5200. A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 34997 in Stuart, FL.

Beyond water: other exposures in Stuart, FL

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 34997 and Martin County, FL.

Radon risk in Martin County, FL

The EPA places Martin County, FL in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Martin County, FL

Census figures show 34% of homes in Martin County, FL were built before 1980, and 2% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Martin County, FL

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Martin County, FL averages 6.6 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.