Is Lubbock, TX tap water safe?
Supplied by Lubbock Public Water System · serves 266,450 people (131,752 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID TX1520002
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Lubbock gets its water from Lubbock Public Water System. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Wildwood Mobile Home Village Water System (577 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Canadian River Municipal Water Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
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.
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 46.5 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 level1.36 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
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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 Lubbock Public Water System's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (806) 775-2010.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Sep 2023 to Jun 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 | 9.05 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
Detected in 10 of 10 samples. Highest result 46.5 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: 1.36 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 3.1 ppb (Jun 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 1.36 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 3.1 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2018 – Dec 2018 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 1.7 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 2.03 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 1.72 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 2000 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1997 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 1.9 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
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 | 1.96 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 2 ppb | – |
| Molybdenum | 6.4 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Strontium | 1.3 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 1,200 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 22 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Lubbock
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 79401, 79402, 79403, 79404, 79406, 79407, 79409, 79410, 79411, 79412, 79413, 79414, 79415, 79416, 79423, 79424, 79457
Nearby utilities
- City of Midland Water Purification Plant Midland · 107 mi
- Amarillo Municipal Water System Amarillo · 113 mi
- City of Odessa Odessa · 119 mi
- City of Tye Tye · 139 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Abilene Abilene · 145 mi · PFAS above limit
- Dyess Air Force Base Water System Abilene · 145 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Lubbock tap water safe to drink?
Most of Lubbock gets its water from Lubbock Public Water System. Lubbock Public Water System has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Lubbock water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Lubbock Public Water System found 1 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Lubbock water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Lubbock Public Water System is 1.36 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 TX1520002: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID TX1520002).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Lubbock Public Water System'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: (806) 775-2010.
- Lubbock Public Water System 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.