Drinking water quality · 2023
· Verified
What's in Houston, TX tap water
23 contaminants were measured in the Houston, TX water system's 2023 annual report. Each is shown below against its federal limit.
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Contaminants measured
- 23
- Over federal limit
- 0
- Approaching the limit
- 1
- Service area
- TX
PFAS — EPA UCMR5 (2023–2025)
5 PFAS compounds detected in Houston, TX
The EPA finalized the first-ever federal drinking-water limits for six PFAS compounds in April 2024. These numbers come straight from EPA's UCMR5 lab dataset — every U.S. system serving more than 3,300 people tested every PFAS sample at an entry point to its distribution system. PFAS not listed below were either tested and not detected, or not yet sampled.
Lithium
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (76.59999999999991 mg/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFBA
● Detected (no federal limit)near national p90 (18 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
6:2 FTS
● Detected (no federal limit)above national p90 (0.03898000000000001 µg/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFPeA
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (15.95999999999999 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFHxA
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (12.190000000000003 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
Where your water comes from · EPA SDWIS
Houston, TX's drinking water comes from ground water, drawn from 111 sources.
Source
- SIMS BAYOU 5A - 12434 SETTEMONT
- SIMS BAYOU 1A - 13812 1/2 CROQUET
- ENCLAVE 2 WL 2 - 13135 FORKLAND
- ACRES HOMES 2SB - 1810 DOLLY WRIGHT
- + 107 more
Treatment
- HIA-1 - 3102 MCKAUGHAN
- ELLINGTON NORTH - 1139 KIRK
- ENCLAVE 2 - 13135 FORKLAND
- + 48 more
Distribution
Also buys water from PINE TRAILS UTILITY.
Historical readings · EPA Six-Year Review (2012–2019)
4 contaminants historically over EPA limits in Houston, TX
Every U.S. public water system reports compliance-monitoring data to EPA. The Six-Year Review releases the 2012–2019 window as a single dataset — here's what your system reported, year by year. Values shown are the highest detection per analyte per year, compared to the federal MCL.
| Contaminant | Worst detection | EPA limit | Years (2012–2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
GROSS BETA worst: 2017 | 8.7 mrem/yr 2.2× | 4 mrem/yr | '12'14'15'17'18 |
HAA5 worst: 2015 | 0.0731 mg/L 1.2× | 0.06 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
ARSENIC worst: 2018 | 0.011 mg/L 1.1× near national p90 | 0.01 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
RADIUM 226 228 worst: 2014 | 5.3 pCi/L 1.1× above national p90 | 5 pCi/L | '12'13'14'15'17'18 |
TTHM worst: 2012 | 0.0758 mg/L 95% | 0.08 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
GROSS ALPHA worst: 2014 | 11.1 pCi/L within | 15 pCi/L | '13'14'15'17'18'19 |
CYANIDE worst: 2018 | 0.11 mg/L within near national p90 | 0.2 mg/L | '14'15'16'17'18'19 |
ATRAZINE worst: 2017 | 0.00091 mg/L within near national p90 | 0.003 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
DEHP worst: 2018 | 0.0018 mg/L within | 0.006 mg/L | '13'15'16'17'18 |
SELENIUM worst: 2019 | 0.0129 mg/L within | 0.05 mg/L | '14'15'16'17'18'19 |
BARIUM worst: 2016 | 0.4 mg/L within above national p90 | 2 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
BENZO A PYRENE worst: 2018 | 0.00004 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.0002 mg/L | '18 |
FLUORIDE worst: 2016 | 0.76 mg/L within | 4 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
CHROMIUM worst: 2019 | 0.0143 mg/L within above national p90 | 0.1 mg/L | '17'19 |
NITRATE worst: 2012 | 1.23 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
DICHLOROMETHANE worst: 2012 | 0.0005 mg/L within | 0.005 mg/L | '12 |
SIMAZINE worst: 2012 | 0.00029 mg/L within | 0.004 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
NITRITE worst: 2013 | 0.04 mg/L within | 1 mg/L | '13'15 |
NITRATE NITRITE worst: 2015 | 0.35 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'19 |
ENDRIN worst: 2017 | 0.00001 mg/L within | 0.002 mg/L | '17 |
HEXACHLOROCYCLOPENTADIENE worst: 2014 | 0.00024 mg/L within | 0.05 mg/L | '12'14 |
ETHYLBENZENE worst: 2017 | 0.0022 mg/L within | 0.7 mg/L | '14'17 |
XYLENES TOTAL worst: 2017 | 0.013 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '14'15'16'17'18 |
TOLUENE worst: 2017 | 0.001 mg/L within | 1 mg/L | '17 |
URANIUM worst: 2017 | 0.0169 ug/L within near national p90 | 30 ug/L | '13'14'15'17'18'19 |
COPPER worst: 2012 | 1.77 mg/L above national p90 | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'19 |
LEAD worst: 2012 | 0.0137 mg/L | — | '12'14'15'16'19 |
DBAA worst: 2012 | 0.0023 mg/L | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
DCAA worst: 2012 | 0.0509 mg/L | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
MBAA worst: 2012 | 0.001 mg/L | — | '12'14'15 |
MCAA worst: 2012 | 0.0056 mg/L | — | '12'15'16'17'18'19 |
TCAA worst: 2012 | 0.0156 mg/L | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
BROMODICHLOROMETHANE worst: 2012 | 0.0127 mg/L | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
BROMOFORM worst: 2012 | 0.004 mg/L | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
CHLOROFORM worst: 2012 | 0.0673 mg/L | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE worst: 2012 | 0.0051 mg/L | — | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
Microbial
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total ColiformA group of bacteria used as an indicator of overall water-system sanitation. | 4.5AverageSystem-wide | 5MCL | Approaching the limit |
Disinfectants
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChloramineA longer-lasting disinfectant made by combining chlorine with ammonia. | 3 mg/LAverageSystem-wide | 4 mg/LMCL | Within the limit |
| ChlorineA disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses. | 1.7 mg/LAverageSystem-wide | 4 mg/LMCL | Within the limit |
Radionuclides
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined RadiumCombined radium-226 and radium-228 — naturally occurring radioactive elements. | 1.77 pCi/LAverageSystem-wide | 5 pCi/LMCL | Within the limit |
VOCs & pesticides
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| XylenesA group of industrial solvents found in gasoline and paint. | 0.4 ug/LAverageSystem-wide | 10 ug/LMCL | Within the limit |
Disinfection byproducts
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorite | 0.002 mg/LAverageSystem-wide | 1 mg/LMCL | Within the limit |
People also ask about Houston, TX's water
+Is Houston, TX tap water safe to drink in 2023?
Every one of the 23 contaminants measured in Houston, TX's 2023 Consumer Confidence Report is below its federal limit. "Safe" under the EPA's drinking-water standards is health-based, not aesthetic — but by those standards, no measured contaminant in this report exceeds its enforceable threshold. Individual health concerns (e.g. immunocompromised, infant, pregnancy) may warrant additional filtering regardless of compliance.
+What contaminants are in Houston, TX tap water?
23 contaminants were measured in Houston, TX's 2023 Consumer Confidence Report, spanning metals, inorganic chemicals, and radionuclides. 20 have an enforceable federal limit; the rest are detected but unregulated. Every measured value, in the utility's own units, is on this page.
+Are any contaminants in Houston, TX tap water approaching the federal limit?
One contaminant is between 80% and 100% of the federal limit in this report: Total Coliform. Approaching means measured but not in violation — a margin that can close quickly if conditions change.
+Where does the data on this page come from?
Every value is transcribed from Houston, TX's 2023 Consumer Confidence Report — the annual drinking-water report every U.S. public water utility is required by federal law to publish. The original source document is archived and viewable on this site. A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
+How often is Houston, TX's water quality data updated?
Each U.S. public water utility publishes one Consumer Confidence Report per year, covering the prior calendar year's measurements. This page reflects the 2023 report; a new report will replace it once the utility publishes its next annual update.