Where Does Clearwater, Largo, Port Richey, and St. Petersburg Get Their Tap Water From?

If you live in Clearwater, Largo, St. Petersburg, or Port Richey, you may have wondered: where does our tap water actually come from? While the Gulf of Mexico is nearby, the region’s drinking water sources are more complex—drawing from a mix of groundwater resources and surface water systems. These sources vary slightly from city to city, but all are closely managed to ensure safe and steady water supply across the Gulf Coast region.

Below, we break down the water sources for each city, explain how that water makes it to your home, and share how water treatment can enhance your health and peace of mind.

Clearwater relies primarily on groundwater from the Floridan Aquifer, one of the most productive groundwater resources in the nation. This limestone-rich aquifer stretches beneath several southeastern states, delivering naturally filtered water to wells throughout the area.

The city supplements this with surface water from Tampa Bay Water, which draws from regional rivers and reservoirs. This blend ensures a steady supply even during drought or peak usage.

Largo does not treat its own water—instead, it receives its supply from Pinellas County Utilities. This regional system blends groundwater, surface water, and desalinated oceanic waters from Tampa Bay.

Water naturally travels through layers of earth and limestone, filtering as it moves—a process known as groundwater flow. This helps remove certain contaminants but may still leave behind total dissolved solids such as calcium or sodium, which impact water taste and hardness.

St. Petersburg draws from the same regional supply as Largo but also maintains a local treatment facility—the Cosme Water Treatment Plant—which allows for additional filtration and quality control.

This layered sourcing strategy allows the city to adapt to changing conditions, such as heavy rainfall, saltwater intrusion, or shifts in natural flows from nearby rivers.

You can learn more about St. Petersburg’s water here.

Port Richey maintains a more localized supply system, using municipal wells to draw from the Floridan Aquifer. The city treats this water at its own utility facility and manages it independently from the larger Tampa Bay Water network.

While aquifer-sourced water is typically clean, it can still carry trace minerals or contaminants, requiring careful treatment and ongoing testing.

Once water is drawn from wells, rivers, or desalination facilities, it follows a series of treatment and distribution steps:

In areas with aging infrastructure—particularly in cities like Clearwater and St. Petersburg—some residents experience pipe corrosion or pressure fluctuations. These factors may cause discoloration or allow contaminants to leach back into the system during main breaks or repairs.

Municipal water systems in the Gulf Coast region are highly regulated, but that doesn’t mean every contaminant is fully removed. Even after standard treatment, tap water may still contain:

Water treatment at the point of use—right before you drink or cook with it—gives you control over what enters your home and body.

Culligan Gulf Coast provides customized water solutions for homes and businesses in Clearwater, Largo, St. Pete, and Port Richey. Whether you’re dealing with hard water, unwanted odors, or health-related concerns, Culligan offers:

Culligan’s experts will come to your home and test your water on-site—checking for hardness, chlorine, iron, and other common contaminants. This personalized assessment helps you understand exactly what’s in your tap water before you commit to a solution.

These systems remove up to 99% of contaminants—including lead, arsenic, PFAS, and nitrates—through multi-stage filtration. Installed under the sink or as a whole-home solution, reverse osmosis delivers crisp, purified water straight from the tap.

Whole-home systems treat all the water entering your home, not just what comes from your kitchen faucet. They help reduce chlorine, sediment, sulfur smells, and other impurities that affect your plumbing, appliances, and even your skin and hair.

Culligan’s softeners are designed to handle the high levels of calcium and magnesium found in local water supplies. These systems protect your pipes, reduce scale buildup, and extend the life of dishwashers, water heaters, and washing machines.

If you prefer the convenience of pre-purified water, Culligan offers flexible bottled water delivery on your schedule. Or, choose a bottle-free cooler that connects directly to your water line and filters water as you use it—no lifting or storage required.

Working with Culligan means you don’t have to guess what’s in your water—or how to fix it. Their local experts understand the exact challenges in your city’s water supply and recommend smart, sustainable systems backed by over 85 years of experience.

Water across the Gulf Coast comes from a mix of groundwater and surface sources, but each city has its own setup and challenges. Whether your water comes from the Floridan Aquifer, a local well field, or a regional treatment plant, there’s one constant: what’s in your tap matters.

And while city treatment systems do a great job getting water to your door, the best way to ensure purity, taste, and health is to treat that water again—right before you use it.