Immokalee Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Immokalee, Florida, in Collier County in the interior of southwestern Florida — the heart of Florida's agricultural production zone for tomatoes, citrus, and winter vegetables — receives its municipal water from the Immokalee Water and Sewer District, drawing from the Upper Floridan Aquifer through production wells in eastern Collier County. Immokalee is a large agricultural community situated well inland from the Southwest Florida coast, away from the coastal resort areas of Naples and Marco Island, serving a predominantly agricultural and immigrant farmworker population.

The moderately hard 143 mg/L hardness and TDS of 363.1 mg/L reflect the Floridan Aquifer's character in the inland Collier County area. The Upper Floridan Aquifer beneath Collier County is composed of the Eocene Avon Park Formation dolomite (the deeper, more prolific producing zone) and the overlying Ocala Group limestone — ancient tropical marine carbonates deposited 35–50 million years ago. In the interior of Collier County, the aquifer is buried beneath a thick section of younger carbonate and clastic deposits, and the water shows moderate carbonate hardness from its transit through these Eocene dolomite and limestone formations. The TDS of 363.1 mg/L reflects additional mineral contributions from the deep aquifer matrix.

At 143 mg/L, Immokalee's water is moderately hard — standard for interior Southwest Florida communities drawing from the Floridan Aquifer. Scale accumulates in kettles and coffee machines over months, the dishwasher benefits from rinse aid, and shower fixtures develop calcium deposits over time. Quarterly descaling of heating appliances is the standard maintenance schedule. The PFAS level of 7.1 ppt warrants a certified drinking water filter — agricultural chemical use in the intensive Immokalee farming district contributes to the regional groundwater PFAS burden alongside other Collier County sources.