Water Quality Report · Updated October 07, 2026
BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD
BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD delivers tap water graded D (64/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 201,249 residents in BROWNSVILLE, Texas using surface water. The most significant water quality concerns are: Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline; Arsenic significantly above health guideline; Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline. For questions, the utility can be reached at 956-983-6709.
Is BROWNSVILLE tap water safe to drink?
BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD delivers tap water that earns a grade of D (64/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a below-average rating, with multiple concerns including haloacetic acids (haa9) significantly above health guideline.
The utility serves 201,249 residents in BROWNSVILLE, drawing from surface water. Despite being legal under US EPA standards, this water would fail the European Union's Drinking Water Directive, primarily due to haloacetic acids (haa9) significantly above health guideline.
Public testing data identifies 16 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Arsenic, Bromochloroacetic acid, Dibromoacetic acid, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Radium, combined (-226 and -228), Chloroform, Bromoform, Chlorite, Nitrate, Nitrate and nitrite. For most residents, a properly certified home filter at the kitchen tap is the most cost-effective way to reduce exposure to whatever's in your water. See our filter recommendations below, matched specifically to this utility's contaminant profile.
EPA compliance record
Official U.S. EPA records for BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD (system ID TX0310001) for the last 3 years. Checked 2026-10-07.
Source: U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO), from the Safe Drinking Water Information System. See EPA's full report.
Quick actions for BROWNSVILLE residents
Top concerns in this water
Based on the most recent EPA and EWG data, these are the most significant water quality issues for BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 27.2 ppb, 454x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Arsenic significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 1.22 ppb, 304x above the EWG health guideline of 0.004 ppb.
Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernBromochloroacetic acid detected at 4.87 ppb, 243x above the EWG health guideline of 0.02 ppb.
Contact BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD
Reach the utility directly for service issues, water quality concerns, or to request your Consumer Confidence Report.
General Contact
Treatment Plant
Recommended water filters for BROWNSVILLE
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in this water supply.
Carbon filter certified for VOCs (NSF/ANSI 53)
$180-$599Activated carbon is effective for disinfection byproducts. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 VOC reduction.
Reverse osmosis certified for arsenic (NSF/ANSI 58)
$429-$599Reverse osmosis certified under NSF/ANSI 58 for arsenic is the most reliable home option.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
Score breakdown
This utility's overall score of 64/100 breaks down across five weighted components. Read the full methodology →
Contaminants detected — international standards comparison
Every contaminant detected, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal (the strictest US benchmark). Why we show multiple standards →
| Contaminant | Detected | EWG US health-based |
EPA US legal |
EU DWD Europe |
WHO global |
CA PHG strictest US |
Tested sample year |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
27.2 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 454× over |
| Arsenic Heavy metal |
1.22 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 304× over |
| Bromochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
4.87 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 243× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
6.12 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 204× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
18.5 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 123× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
12.2 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 122× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
5.06 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 84× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
4.89 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 49× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
4.47 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 22× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
1.39 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 14× over |
| Radium, combined (-226 and -228) Radiological |
0.5 pCi/L | 0.05 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 10× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
3.86 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 9.6× over |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
4.52 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 9.0× over |
| Chlorite Disinfection byproduct |
307.1 ppb | 50.0 | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | 6.1× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
0.649 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 4.6× over |
| Nitrate and nitrite Inorganic |
0.21 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 1.5× over |
| Chlorate Disinfection byproduct |
156.1 ppb | 210.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 1,4-Dioxane Semi-volatile organic compound |
0.0959 ppb | 0.35 | — | — | 50 | 1 | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
6.74 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Barium Heavy metal |
92.7 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| Selenium Heavy metal |
3.23 ppb | 30.0 | 50.0 | 20 | 40 | 30 | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
2.0 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Aluminum Heavy metal |
8.82 ppb | 600.0 | — | 200 | — | 600 | — | Below guideline |
| Monobromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.241 ppb | 25.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese Heavy metal |
0.52 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
1.83 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Cyanide Inorganic |
76.7 ppb | — | 200.0 | 50 | 70 | 150 | — | Fails EU |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.637 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Hexadecanoic acid Other |
10.5 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Lithium Other |
41.9 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Octadecanoic acid Other |
16.8 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
All values in the unit of the detected level. Red cells indicate the detected level exceeds that standard. Some contaminants have limits in some jurisdictions but not others (shown as —). The "Tested" column shows the year each contaminant sample was collected.
Sources: US EPA, EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, WHO Guidelines (4th ed.), California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD service area
This water system serves 1 community in Cameron County, Texas. Click any city for its dedicated tap water quality page.
Find the right filter for BROWNSVILLE water
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