Is Austin Tap Water Safe? What Austin Water’s EPA Records Show
Austin Water, which serves about 1,115,323 people in Texas, reported PFOS above the EPA limit in the EPA’s UCMR5 PFAS monitoring (2023-2025). That is the system’s own reported occurrence — “reported above the limit,” not “in violation”; enforcement of the PFAS limits phases in through 2029-2031. Its most recent EPA-record lead 90th-percentile was non-detect (below the reporting limit) — under the current 15 ppb action level. The system has 22 health-based violations on its federal SDWA record.
See the full interactive report for this system — every PFAS analyte, lead and copper rounds, violations, and the filter that handles what was found: open the Austin report → Or check YOUR exact ZIP: check your water by ZIP →
Beyond PFAS: state-record results over an EPA limit
- tthm: 101 ug/L (highest sample 2015-11-03; 2012-2019 records, not current)
These are the highest samples in the state/EPA record for this system — a snapshot, not a current reading; the utility’s Consumer Confidence Report is the official current record.
Common questions about Austin water
Is Austin's tap water safe to drink?
The records show PFOS, tthm above a current EPA limit or action level — the details, with dates, are in the sections above. That is a system-level occurrence record, not a verdict on any individual tap. These are system-level records for public water systems, not a reading of any individual home’s tap, and they do not cover private wells. Confirm your own utility’s current Consumer Confidence Report, and test your tap if you’re unsure.
Does Austin have PFAS in its drinking water?
Austin Water reported PFOS above the EPA’s limit in UCMR5 monitoring — an occurrence flag, not a compliance finding (enforcement 2029-2031).
Who supplies Austin's drinking water?
Austin Water (PWSID TX2270001) serves about 1,115,323 people, per EPA SDWIS records. A metro area is usually served by more than one water system — this page covers the area’s largest. Suburbs and neighboring towns often have their own systems with their own results; check your exact ZIP for yours.
How do I check my exact address?
Water systems report by system, not by address. Enter your ZIP on the water checker to see the system(s) serving it and what each reported.
Statewide, 2.5% of Texas’s UCMR5-tested systems reported PFOA or PFOS over the EPA limit — see the Texas water page.
Other large systems in Texas
Houston San Antonio Dallas Fort Worth El Paso
See the 100 largest US water systems, water quality by state, and the national PFAS data study.
Sources: EPA UCMR5 occurrence data, Feb 2026 release (~95% complete; final reporting 2026) (2026-06); lead/copper + violations: EPA SDWIS via ECHO; population served: EPA SDWIS via ECHO (system-reported population served). PWSID TX2270001. Public-domain federal/state records; assembly by WaterByTheBook. Built 2026-07-25. Plain-markdown mirror: https://waterbythebook.com/md/austin.md