Is Midland, TX tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Midland Water Purification Plant · serves 157,000 people (42,567 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID TX1650001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Midland gets its water from City of Midland Water Purification Plant. Parts of the city are served by 2 smaller systems: Bryan County Rws & Swmd #2 (6,270 people), Airline Crossing Water System (1,973 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit6 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 68.8 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 level3.08 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 2024 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved8 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Feb 2026. 6 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Feb 2026. 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.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Midland Water Purification Plant'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 (432) 685-7100. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Aug 2023 to May 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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 1.13 ppt 28% of the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 9.13 ppt 91% 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 | 0.91 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.17 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 15 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 1.8 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 0.75 ppt |
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 6 of 6 samples. Highest result 68.8 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: 3.08 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 4.2 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 3.08 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 1.4 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 2.7 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 4.32 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 4.32 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 2.1 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 1.7 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 1.7 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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2016 – Feb 2026 4 times | The water was too cloudy too often in a month. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Monthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
| Jan 2023 – Jan 2026 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 |
| Jan 2017 – Oct 2023 2 times | The running annual average for Arsenic was above the legal limit. EPA record: Arsenic · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.011 mg/l (limit 0.010 mg/L) Resolved |
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: Public Notice.
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 | 20.2 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 9.1 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Strontium | 5.6 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 57 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.85 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 220 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Midland
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 79701, 79702, 79703, 79704, 79705, 79706, 79707, 79708, 79710, 79711, 79712
Nearby utilities
- City of Odessa Odessa · 17 mi
- City of San Angelo San Angelo · 105 mi
- Lubbock Public Water System Lubbock · 107 mi
- City of Tye Tye · 135 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Abilene Abilene · 142 mi · PFAS above limit
- Dyess Air Force Base Water System Abilene · 142 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Midland tap water safe to drink?
Most of Midland gets its water from City of Midland Water Purification Plant. City of Midland Water Purification Plant had 8 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 Midland water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Midland Water Purification Plant found 6 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Midland water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Midland Water Purification Plant is 3.08 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2024 (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 TX1650001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID TX1650001).
- 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 Midland Water Purification Plant at (432) 685-7100, 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.