Forever Chemicals
Texas is big enough that no two corners of it share a water story, so if a move has you wondering what is in the tap where you are headed, that curiosity is well placed. The figures below come from federal monitoring, and the office standing behind the state's drinking water is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). None of this is a verdict on a single home. It is the public record, laid out so you can read it yourself, which is precisely the kind of thing worth reviewing when evaluating an address anywhere across the state.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Texas for 29 PFAS compounds; 10 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 20% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Texas address.
In Texas, drinking water falls under the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the TCEQ, which administers the public-water-supply program the federal Safe Drinking Water Act delegates to the state. On PFAS, Texas largely operates within the federal framework rather than setting its own enforceable drinking-water limit: residents are covered by the April 2024 rule (4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, 10 for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX), with TCEQ responsible for carrying those standards into the state's water systems. It is a federal-default posture in a very large state, but the office behind the work is named, and its job is defined.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Texasserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
51
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
10
Systems with any PFAS detected
20% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
6
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
6
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
Red triangles are military installations the Department of Defense has flagged for PFAS from firefighting foam. Orange dots are industrial facilities that reported PFAS to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. If your future home sits near a cluster, that's a conversation worth having with the seller or landlord.
These are the Texasutilities where EPA testing found PFAS the most often or at the highest levels. Being on this list doesn't automatically mean today's tap water is unsafe — some systems have added treatment since these samples were taken — but it means a conversation with the utility is worth having before you move in.
| Water system | Detections | Max value (ng/L) | vs 2024 MCL |
|---|---|---|---|
| BASTROP COUNTY WCID 2 | 1 | 0.03 | Below MCL |
| CITY OF PALESTINE | 1 | 0.02 | Below MCL |
| CITY OF BEEVILLE | 4 | 0.02 | Below MCL |
| CITY OF BELTON | 2 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CITY OF PORT LAVACA | 3 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CITY OF TEMPLE | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CITY OF ROCKPORT | 2 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| TOWN OF PROSPER | 2 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CITY OF LUFKIN | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| BELL COUNTY WCID 3 | 3 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across Texas water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
For decades the military trained with AFFF firefighting foam loaded with PFAS. It soaked into soil and groundwater and, in many places, traveled miles. If you're house-hunting near any of these Texas installations, the address report will tell you exactly how close.
Dallas NAS
Navy
El Campo
Army
Former Reese AFB
Air Force
Goodfellow AFB
Air Force
Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, Randolph, Ft Sam Houston, Camp Bullis
Air Force
Reese AFB
Air Force
Looking at a specific Texascity? Each page below pulls the same federal data narrowed to that water system — useful whether you're relocating, buying, organizing your neighborhood around getting cleaner water, or just trying to find out what's in the tap and what's around you.
The numbers below have real boundaries, and the most important one is coverage. The federal UCMR5 effort tested 29 PFAS compounds in public systems serving more than about 3,300 people between 2021 and 2024, which leaves private wells out, since they were never required to test, and skips many smaller rural systems too. In a state with as much rural and well-served land as Texas, that gap matters: the public-system figures can read calmer than your own situation warrants. TCEQ offers guidance for well owners who want independent testing, which is the right move for a private well. And remember that a detection logged in 2022 reflects that day, not necessarily today's tap. Read the data as a starting line, not a finish.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Texas; 10 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Texas is among the states that rely on the federal standard rather than a separate state limit. Residents are covered by the April 2024 federal rule, which sets 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) administers and enforces those limits across the state's public water systems.
TCEQ runs the state's public-water-supply program and enforces the federal PFAS limits within it, including monitoring and follow-up when systems exceed the standards. Texas tends to work within the federal rule rather than adopt stricter numbers, so TCEQ's role is largely implementing what EPA finalized in 2024.
TCEQ is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state's main environmental agency, overseeing programs that include drinking water, water quality, and contaminated-site cleanup. It is the office to contact for public-water and well-water questions in Texas.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Texas address, alongside nearby military bases and industrial PFAS sources. The data comes from EPA UCMR 5, EPA TRI, and the DoD PFAS installation report.
In April 2024 the EPA set the first enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (GenX), plus a Hazard Index for certain mixtures. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and come into compliance after that.
No. The federal limits apply to public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing and treatment, which is especially worth doing near a known PFAS source like a military base or industrial site.
State numbers tell you the pattern. An address report tells you what's actually in the water at yourkitchen sink — the matched utility, the PFAS detections on file, and every military or industrial source nearby. Whether it's for your family, your neighbors, or peace of mind.
Data sources: EPA UCMR 5 bulk data · EPA TRI 2024 · DoD PFAS installation report