Is Port Arthur, TX tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Port Arthur · serves 56,039 people (24,840 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID TX1230009
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit1 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level2.35 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 ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jan 2025. 2 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jan 2025. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Port Arthur's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (409) 983-8105. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Oct 2023 to Apr 2024. "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 Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 1 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
Not detected in 3 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2.35 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2.4 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 2.35 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2013 | 2.44 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 7.39 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 6.74 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 3.3 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 2000 | 5.1 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Dec 1997 | 3.9 ppb |
| Jan 1996 – Dec 1996 | 5.5 ppb |
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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Feb 2024 – Jan 2025 2 times | The water was cloudier than allowed at least once. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
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 | 1.8 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 252 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.32 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.083 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Port Arthur
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 77640, 77641, 77642
Nearby utilities
- City of Beaumont Water Utility Dept Beaumont · 20 mi
- City of Baytown Baytown · 60 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Texas City Texas City · 62 mi
- City of Webster Webster · 72 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Pasadena Pasadena · 72 mi
- City of League City League City · 72 mi
Questions
Is Port Arthur tap water safe to drink?
Most of Port Arthur gets its water from City of Port Arthur. City of Port Arthur had 2 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. 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 Port Arthur water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Port Arthur found 1 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Port Arthur water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Port Arthur is 2.35 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. 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 TX1230009: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID TX1230009).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Port Arthur at (409) 983-8105, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
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.