A small, tight-knit city along the Halifax River between Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach. We test Holly Hill homes on-site and walk through exactly what's in the water — including specifics from the city's own recent testing.
Holly Hill runs along the Ridgewood Avenue (US-1) corridor between Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach, bordered by the Halifax River to the east. It's one of the smaller, older municipalities in the county, with a mix of longtime residential streets off Nova Road and riverside properties closer to the water.
Ridgewood Avenue corridorRiverside near the Halifax RiverNova Road areaDaytona Beach borderOrmond Beach border
Because Holly Hill sits between two larger cities with their own separate water systems, it's easy for homeowners to assume their water works the same way. It doesn't — Holly Hill operates its own municipal water treatment plant, drawing from the Floridan Aquifer independently of Daytona Beach or Ormond Beach.
Local Water Note: University of Florida Health researchers identified PFAS above EPA safety limits at several Volusia County springs within the same regional aquifer Holly Hill draws from. Springs are a separate water source from municipal wells, so this doesn't prove direct contamination of Holly Hill's tap water — but it confirms an active PFAS pathway in the region's groundwater. Standard municipal treatment does not remove PFAS regardless — only reverse osmosis reliably does.
What the City's Own 2025 Water Quality Report Shows
Every year the City of Holly Hill publishes an Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. We read the full report so you don't have to — and this one has some specifics worth knowing.
A confirmed bacteria detection in July 2025. The city's own report shows total coliform bacteria tested positive in July 2025, triggering a required Level 1 assessment under state law. The city completed the assessment and the required corrective action. Coliform bacteria themselves aren't necessarily harmful, but they're used as an indicator that a potential pathway for contamination may exist in the distribution system — which is exactly why the assessment and correction process exists.
Disinfection byproducts running on the higher side. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) averaged 59 ppb with individual samples as high as 66 ppb, against an 80 ppb legal limit. Haloacetic acids (HAA5) averaged 38 ppb against a 60 ppb limit. Both are compliant, but with less margin than some neighboring systems in the county.
One lead sample came in above the action level. The city's official compliance metric — the 90th percentile result across all sampling sites — came in at 4.1 ppb, well under the 15 ppb action level. But the individual sample range extended up to 20 ppb at one specific site, meaning at least one household tested above the action level even though the citywide average stayed compliant.
No lead piping found in the city's service lines. Holly Hill's 2024 Lead Service Line Inventory surveyed all known customer connections and found no lead piping. The city is continuing to survey city-owned distribution piping to confirm the same citywide.
Source: City of Holly Hill, 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (testing completed January–December 2025). Contact: Jeff Jacobson, Chief Operator, Water Treatment Plant, 386-248-9463.
What Holly Hill Homeowners Ask Us Most
"Is the bacteria thing from earlier this year still a problem?" — The city completed its required Level 1 assessment and corrective action following the July 2025 finding. If you want independent confirmation of your own tap water rather than relying on citywide averages, that's exactly what an in-home test gives you.
"My water smells or tastes different than when I lived in Daytona Beach." — Holly Hill operates a separate water system from Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach, so differences in taste, hardness, or odor between neighboring cities are normal, not a sign of a problem on either side.
"Should I be worried about lead in an older Holly Hill home?" — The city found no lead piping in its own service lines, which is good news. But that doesn't rule out lead solder or fixtures inside an older home's internal plumbing, which the city has no visibility into. A test at your own tap is the only way to know for certain.
Find Out What's In Your Holly Hill Water
A 30-minute in-home test. Real numbers, not citywide averages. No cost, no obligation.