Is Austin, TX tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Austin Water & Wastewater · serves 1.1 million people (279,758 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID TX2270001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Austin gets its water from City of Austin Water & Wastewater. Parts of the city are served by 13 smaller systems: Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District (18,314 people), Wells Branch Municipal Utility District 1 (18,015 people), North Austin Municipal Utility District 1 (11,133 people), Austins Colony Water System (9,987 people) and 9 more. 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.
- 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 ending Dec 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved5 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Feb 2022. 5 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Feb 2022. 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 Austin Water & Wastewater's water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (512) 972-0108.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Oct 2023 to Jul 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 | 1.2 ppt 30% of the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 3.65 ppt 37% 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 | 0.37 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 2.17 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 3.47 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 0.82 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 1.78 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
Not detected in 12 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 0.63 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 0.56 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 3.7 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 0.8 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 2000 | 2.3 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1997 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 1993 – Dec 1993 | 1.8 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Austin Water & Wastewater's inventory lists 0 lead, 777 galvanized lines that need replacing, 0 of unknown material out of 256,735 service lines (as of 2024-10). Counted by us from the utility's or state's published line-by-line inventory data.
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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Oct 2018 – Feb 2022 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 |
| Oct 2018 3 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chromium-6 | 0.25 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 4.13 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.18 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Molybdenum | 2.07 ppb | 40 ppb |
Where it serves
Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Kyle, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Hornsby Bend, Bee Cave, Steiner Ranch
56 ZIP codes the system reported serving
78610, 78612, 78613, 78617, 78621, 78640, 78641, 78652, 78653, 78660, 78664, 78681, 78701, 78702, 78703, 78704, 78705, 78712, 78717, 78719, 78721, 78722, 78723, 78724, 78725, 78726, 78727, 78728, 78729, 78730, 78731, 78732, 78733, 78735, 78736, 78737, 78738, 78739, 78741, 78742, 78744, 78745, 78746, 78747, 78748, 78749, 78750, 78751, 78752, 78753, 78754, 78756, 78757, 78758, 78759, 78767
Nearby utilities
- City of Pflugerville Pflugerville · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Cedar Park Cedar Park · 15 mi
- City of Round Rock Round Rock · 17 mi
- Manville Water Supply Corporation Round Rock · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Windermere Community Water System Round Rock · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Leander Leander · 20 mi
Questions
Is Austin tap water safe to drink?
Most of Austin gets its water from City of Austin Water & Wastewater. City of Austin Water & Wastewater had 5 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 Austin water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Austin Water & Wastewater found 6 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Austin water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Austin Water & Wastewater is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 TX2270001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID TX2270001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Austin Water & Wastewater's water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (512) 972-0108.
- City of Austin Water & Wastewater 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.