Is Brownsville, TX tap water safe?

Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it

Brownsville Public Utilities Board, the largest system here, had PFAS above the 2024 federal limits (PFOS) in EPA's 2023–2025 testing.

Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.

4 public water systems serve parts of Brownsville. The largest, Brownsville Public Utilities Board, serves 201,249 people, and one system here had PFAS above a federal limit. Your water bill names your system.

Largest system

Brownsville Public Utilities Board

201,249 people · Surface water · EPA ID TX0310001

Buys treated water from Southmost Regional Water Authority.

PFAS	Highest average	Limit	Status
PFOA One sample above limit	1.18 ppt	4 ppt	One sample above limit
PFOS Above limit	6.55 ppt	4 ppt	Above limit
PFHxS Detected, below limit	3.78 ppt	10 ppt	Detected, below limit
PFNA Not detected	–	10 ppt	Not detected
HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected	–	10 ppt	Not detected

ppt = parts per trillion. "Highest average" is the highest average at any of the system's entry points, the way EPA compares results with the limits.

For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 98% of the Texas systems EPA tested.

Lead: 0 ppb at the 90th percentile (Dec 2024, and 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it) Below action level
Health-based violations since 2016: 0

Full Brownsville Public Utilities Board results

Across Texas, 28 of 1,130 water systems EPA tested had PFAS above a 2024 federal limit, and 13 systems were above the lead action level in results from the last five years. Texas results.

Brownsville homes and lead pipes

30%

of homes built before 1980 (Texas 33%, US 50%)

built before 1950 (Texas 6%)

38%

of households rent (Texas 37%)

Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so homes from before then are the ones to check. Renting? Ask your landlord what the service line is made of, because it's their pipe to replace. How to check your own line.

Housing: Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Brownsville city (tables B25034, B25003). Estimates for small places have a margin of error.

Which system serves your ZIP code

Based on the ZIP codes each system reported serving. Boundaries don't follow ZIP lines exactly, so your water bill is the final word.

System	ZIP codes in Brownsville
Brownsville Public Utilities Board 201,249 people	78520, 78521, 78526
Laguna Madre Water District 46,674 people	78578
Olmito Water Supply Corporation 8,952 people	78575

Other water systems serving Brownsville

Laguna Madre Water District
46,674 people · Surface water · Texas · reported ZIPs here
Lithium above screening level
El Jardin Water Supply Corporation
9,423 people · Purchased surface water · Texas · reported ZIPs here
PFOA detectedAlso: PFOS detected · PFHxS detected · Lithium above screening level
Olmito Water Supply Corporation
8,952 people · Surface water · Texas · reported ZIPs here
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violationAlso: PFOS detected · PFHxS detected · Lithium above screening level

How nearby cities compare

City	Main water system	PFAS	Lead (90th pct.)
Harlingen 20 mi Harlingen Water Works System	Harlingen Water Works System	None above limits	0 ppb
Weslaco 35 mi North Alamo Water Supply Corporation	North Alamo Water Supply Corporation	None above limits	0.32 ppb
San Juan 46 mi North Alamo Water Supply Corporation	North Alamo Water Supply Corporation	None above limits	0.32 ppb
Pharr 47 mi City of Pharr	City of Pharr	None above limits	1.09 ppb
Edinburg 50 mi City of Edinburg	City of Edinburg	None above limits	0 ppb
McAllen 52 mi McAllen Public Utility	McAllen Public Utility	None above limits	2.3 ppb

Questions

Is Brownsville tap water safe to drink?

Brownsville Public Utilities Board has had no health-based violations since 2016, and EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which it must meet by 2029. Utility data can't show lead from your own pipes: if your home was built before 1986, test your tap. Your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report is the official summary.

Who supplies water in Brownsville, TX?

4 public water systems serve parts of Brownsville. The largest is Brownsville Public Utilities Board (201,249 people). Your water bill names your system. The EPA ID is also on your utility's Consumer Confidence Report.

Does Brownsville tap water have PFAS?

Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing found entry-point averages above the 2024 federal limits for PFOS at Brownsville Public Utilities Board. Systems have until 2029 to meet them.

Do Brownsville homes have lead pipes?

Census estimates put 30% of Brownsville homes as built before 1980 (Texas: 33%). Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so older homes are more likely to have them. Brownsville Public Utilities Board's service line inventory says what your line is made of. The only way to know for your home is to check the line where it enters the house and test your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.