Tavares Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Tavares, Florida, in Lake County — the Lake County seat adjacent to Mount Dora and Leesburg on Lake Dora in central Florida — receives its municipal water from the Tavares Water Division, drawing from the Upper Floridan Aquifer (Lake County) through the central Florida water treatment system.

The moderately hard 125.5 mg/L hardness and TDS of 308.5 mg/L (elevated TDS relative to hardness — suggesting dissolved sulfate from the Avon Park dolomite) reflect the central Florida Lake County Floridan Aquifer's moderate Eocene dolomitic character — significantly softer than the Polk County extreme (Lake Wales: 329.5 mg/L). The Upper Floridan Aquifer at Lake County is developed in Eocene Ocala Limestone (calcareous — primary hardness contributor), Eocene Avon Park Formation (dolomite — calcareous, secondary TDS contributor), and minor Oligocene Suwannee Limestone (slightly calcareous). The Eocene carbonate aquifer at the less evaporitic Lake County setting produces the moderately hard central Florida supply.

At 125.5 mg/L, Tavares' water is moderately hard — scale builds in kettles and appliances over months, dishwashers benefit from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need periodic cleaning. Quarterly descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 6.5 ppt warrants a certified drinking water filter — the Lake County central Florida recreational corridor and the central Florida PFAS background from the Ocala National Forest area AFFF sources and the Florida Turnpike corridor industrial PFAS contribute to Tavares' readings.