# Austin, TX — Drinking Water Quality (2024)

> Contaminant levels for the Austin, TX public water system from its 2024 Consumer Confidence Report, compared to federal limits.

- Page: https://www.thewatermap.com/water/tx/austin/2024
- JSON API: https://www.thewatermap.com/api/water/tx/austin/2024
- Source: the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
- Verification: transcribed by a model, cross-checked by a second model, approved before publishing
- Reporting year: 2024
- Contaminants measured: 17
- Contaminants with a federal limit: 13
- Contaminants at or above the federal limit: 0
- Part of The Water Map — https://www.thewatermap.com

## Contaminants measured

| Contaminant | Category | Measured level | Sampling context | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chloramine | Disinfectants | 2.3 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | 4 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Bromodichloromethane | Disinfection byproducts | 13.7 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | 0 ug/L (MCLG) | Detected — no federal limit |
| Bromoform | Disinfection byproducts | 1.7 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | 0 ug/L (MCLG) | Detected — no federal limit |
| Chloroform | Disinfection byproducts | 14.1 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | 70 ug/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Dibromochloromethane | Disinfection byproducts | 10.3 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | 60 ug/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| HAA5 | Disinfection byproducts | 15.6 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| TTHM | Disinfection byproducts | 45.5 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Cyanide | Inorganic chemicals | 50 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | 200 ug/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Fluoride | Inorganic chemicals | 0.66 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | 4 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Nitrate | Inorganic chemicals | 0.05 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | 10 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Barium | Metals | 0.012 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | 2 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Copper | Metals | 0.008 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | 1.3 mg/L (Action level) | Within the limit |
| Lead | Metals | 1 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | 15 ug/L (Action level) | Within the limit |
| TOC | Physical & aggregate | 1.27 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Turbidity | Physical & aggregate | 0.04 NTU (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Gross Beta Particle Activity | Radionuclides | 4.5 pCi/L (Average) | System-wide | 50 pCi/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Simazine | VOCs & pesticides | 0.03 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | 4 ug/L (MCL) | Within the limit |

## What these contaminants are

- **Chloramine** — A longer-lasting disinfectant made by combining chlorine with ammonia. Holds disinfection further into the pipe network, but is regulated under the same residual-disinfectant cap as chlorine.
- **Bromodichloromethane** — A trihalomethane disinfection byproduct. Counted within regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is associated with cancer and reproductive effects.
- **Bromoform** — A trihalomethane disinfection byproduct. Counted within regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is associated with liver and kidney effects.
- **Chloroform** — A trihalomethane formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water. A component of regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is linked to liver and kidney effects.
- **Dibromochloromethane** — A trihalomethane disinfection byproduct. Part of regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is linked to nervous-system, liver, and kidney effects.
- **HAA5** — Haloacetic acids — a group of five disinfection byproducts formed when disinfectants react with organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is associated with an increased cancer risk.
- **TTHM** — Total trihalomethanes — a group of four chemicals (including chloroform) formed when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is linked to liver, kidney, and central-nervous-system effects and increased cancer risk.
- **Fluoride** — A mineral often added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Beneficial at low levels, but long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause bone disease and tooth mottling.
- **Nitrate** — A compound from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and erosion of natural deposits. Levels above the federal limit can cause 'blue baby syndrome,' a serious oxygen-transport condition in infants.
- **Barium** — A metal from erosion of natural deposits and industrial discharge. Long-term exposure above the federal limit can raise blood pressure.
- **Copper** — A metal that enters water from corroding household plumbing. Short-term exposure causes stomach distress; long-term exposure can damage the liver and kidneys.
- **Lead** — A toxic metal that leaches into water from old service lines, solder, and plumbing fixtures. There is no safe level of lead; it harms brain development in children and raises blood pressure in adults. The EPA sets an action level, not a health goal above zero.
- **TOC** — Total organic carbon — a measure of organic material dissolved in the water. Not harmful itself, but it is the raw material that forms disinfection byproducts; removal is a treatment requirement.
- **Turbidity** — A measure of cloudiness from suspended particles in the water. High turbidity can shelter microbes from disinfection; the EPA enforces it through a treatment-technique standard.
- **Gross Beta Particle Activity** — Gross beta particle activity — a combined measure of beta-emitting radioactive substances. Long-term exposure above the federal screening level increases cancer risk.

## How to read this

- A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
- 'Federal limit' is the EPA standard (MCL, action level, treatment technique, etc.) that the measured level is compared against.
- 'At or above the federal limit' means the utility's own reported figure met or exceeded that standard.

_Figures are the utility's own published numbers. Generated 2026-05-25 from thewatermap.com._