Is El Paso, TX tap water safe?
Supplied by El Paso Water Utilities · serves 747,168 people (236,502 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID TX0710002
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
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 ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 6.4 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 133 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level0 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period Jan 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read El Paso Water Utilities's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (915) 594-5595.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 27 entry points tested Jul 2023 to May 2026. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.4 ppt 1.6× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 4.4 ppt 44% of the limit |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.44 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.25 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 5.5 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 3.63 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.58 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 98% of the Texas systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 6 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 57 of 57 samples. Highest result 133 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 10 ppb (Dec 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 1.16 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Jun 2017 | 2.3 ppb |
| Jul 2016 – Dec 2016 | 1.3 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 2.06 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 3.5 ppb |
Lead service lines: El Paso Water Utilities publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 26.6 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 480 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 19 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 20 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 8.4 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 2.1 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.17 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
El Paso
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 79821, 79901, 79902, 79904, 79912, 79915, 79924, 79927, 79935, 79936, 79938, 79961
Nearby utilities
- Town of Anthony Anthony · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lower Valley Water District Socorro · 18 mi
- City of Odessa Odessa · 239 mi
- City of Midland Water Purification Plant Midland · 253 mi
- Lubbock Public Water System Lubbock · 292 mi
- City of San Angelo San Angelo · 352 mi
Questions
Is El Paso tap water safe to drink?
Most of El Paso gets its water from El Paso Water Utilities. El Paso Water Utilities has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does El Paso water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of El Paso Water Utilities found 6 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 6.4 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in El Paso water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for El Paso Water Utilities is 0 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2026 (still in progress). The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for TX0710002: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID TX0710002).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- El Paso Water Utilities's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (915) 594-5595.
- El Paso Water Utilities website
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.