Water Quality Report · Updated May 12, 2026
CITY OF HOUSTON
CITY OF HOUSTON delivers tap water graded D (59/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 2,970,543 residents in HOUSTON, 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 832-393-1000.
Is HOUSTON tap water safe to drink?
CITY OF HOUSTON delivers tap water that earns a grade of D (59/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a below-average rating, with multiple concerns including haloacetic acids (haa9) significantly above health guideline.
The utility serves 2,970,543 residents in HOUSTON, 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 17 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Arsenic, Bromochloroacetic acid, Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Bromodichloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Chromium (hexavalent), Chloroform, Dibromoacetic acid, Dibromochloromethane, Radium, combined (-226 and -228), Uranium, 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTSA), Nitrate, Atrazine. 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.
Quick actions for HOUSTON residents
Top concerns in this water
Based on the most recent EPA and EWG data, these are the most significant water quality issues for CITY OF HOUSTON.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 36.0 ppb, 599x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Arsenic significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 2.06 ppb, 516x above the EWG health guideline of 0.004 ppb.
Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernBromochloroacetic acid detected at 4.57 ppb, 229x above the EWG health guideline of 0.02 ppb.
Contact CITY OF HOUSTON
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 HOUSTON
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in this water supply.
Carbon block (NSF/ANSI 42 + 53)
$40-$750Activated carbon is highly effective for disinfection byproducts like TTHM and HAA5.
Reverse Osmosis
$249-$750Arsenic is most effectively removed by reverse osmosis. Some specialized adsorptive filters also work.
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 59/100 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 |
36.0 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 599× over |
| Arsenic Heavy metal |
2.06 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 516× over |
| Bromochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
4.57 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 229× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
21.2 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 212× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
30.4 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 203× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
6.19 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 103× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
15.1 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 76× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
4.54 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 45× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.747 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 37× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
13.7 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 34× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.97 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 32× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
2.01 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 20× over |
| Radium, combined (-226 and -228) Radiological |
0.85 pCi/L | 0.05 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 17× over |
| Uranium Radiological |
2.19 pCi/L | 0.43 | 20.0 | 30 | 30 | 0.43 | — | 5.1× over |
| 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTSA) Other |
1.69 ppt | 1.0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.7× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
0.155 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 1.1× over |
| Atrazine Pesticide/Herbicide |
0.104 ppb | 0.1 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 100 | 0.15 | — | Fails EU |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
0.204 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Simazine Pesticide/Herbicide |
0.0294 ppb | 0.1 | 4.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Barium Heavy metal |
158.8 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| Aluminum Heavy metal |
101.9 ppb | 600.0 | — | 200 | — | 600 | — | Below guideline |
| Chlorate Disinfection byproduct |
31.3 ppb | 210.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
1.91 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese Heavy metal |
7.29 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
1.99 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Thallium Heavy metal |
0.00483 ppb | 0.1 | 2.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Selenium Heavy metal |
1.28 ppb | 30.0 | 50.0 | 20 | 40 | 30 | — | Below guideline |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate Semi-volatile organic compound |
0.0822 ppb | 3.0 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 1,4-Dioxane Semi-volatile organic compound |
0.00599 ppb | 0.35 | — | — | 50 | 1 | — | Below guideline |
| Monochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.573 ppb | 53.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Bromochloromethane Other |
0.000363 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) PFAS |
0.685 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) PFAS |
0.632 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA) PFAS |
0.472 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.361 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Cobalt Other |
0.0106 ppb | 70.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Toluene Volatile organic compound |
0.0134 ppb | 150.0 | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Xylenes (total) Volatile organic compound |
0.13 ppb | 1800.0 | 10000.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Ethylbenzene Volatile organic compound |
0.0152 ppb | 300.0 | 700.0 | 1 | 10 | 0.15 | — | Below guideline |
| Picloram Other |
0.00476 ppb | 166.0 | 500.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 2-methyl-1-propene Other |
3.5 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Cyanide Inorganic |
22.1 ppb | — | 200.0 | 50 | 70 | 150 | — | Below guideline |
| Erucylamide Other |
3.0 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.264 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Germanium Other |
0.115 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Hexadecanoic acid Other |
15.3 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Lithium Other |
12.0 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Methyl isobutyl ketone Other |
0.0777 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| o-toluidine Other |
0.0012 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Octadecanoic acid Other |
32.8 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Oleic acid Other |
3.2 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.
CITY OF HOUSTON service area
This water system serves 1 community in Harris County, Texas. Click any city for its dedicated tap water quality page.
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