Water Quality Report · Updated May 12, 2026

CITY OF SUGAR LAND

Serving 90,909 residents in SUGAR LAND, Texas .

National rank 32th percentile
Texas rank 22th percentile
Data confidence Medium
D
58/100
Below Average
ⓘ How did we get this rating?
Quick answer

CITY OF SUGAR LAND delivers tap water graded D (58/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 90,909 residents in SUGAR LAND, Texas using surface water. The most significant water quality concerns are: PFAS contamination; Arsenic significantly above health guideline; Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline; Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline. For questions, the utility can be reached at 281-275-2313.

Data sources for this grade: utilities.csv EWG Tap Water Database ⓘ How did we get this rating?
90,909
People served
1
City served
42
Contaminants detected
19
Above health guidelines
0
EPA violations (5 yr)

Is SUGAR LAND tap water safe to drink?

CITY OF SUGAR LAND delivers tap water that earns a grade of D (58/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a below-average rating, with multiple concerns including pfas contamination.

The utility serves 90,909 residents in SUGAR LAND, 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 pfas contamination.

Public testing data identifies 19 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Arsenic, Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Bromochloroacetic acid, 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTSA), Dibromoacetic acid, Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Chromium (hexavalent), Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Radium, combined (-226 and -228), Nitrate, Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Chlorite, Uranium, Atrazine, Bromoform, Chloroform. 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.

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 SUGAR LAND.

PFAS contamination

Severe concern

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) detected. PFAS are persistent chemicals linked to cancer and immune effects with no known safe exposure threshold.

Arsenic significantly above health guideline

Moderate concern

Arsenic detected at 0.5 ppb, 125x above the EWG health guideline of 0.004 ppb.

Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline

Moderate concern

Haloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 6.36 ppb, 106x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.

Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline

Moderate concern

Bromochloroacetic acid detected at 1.81 ppb, 90x above the EWG health guideline of 0.02 ppb.

Contact CITY OF SUGAR LAND

Reach the utility directly for service issues, water quality concerns, or to request your Consumer Confidence Report.

Recommended water filters for SUGAR LAND

Filters matched to the specific contaminants in this water supply.

Reverse Osmosis or NSF P473 certified carbon

$80-$750

Activated carbon and RO are the only technologies proven to remove PFAS at certified levels.

AquaTru Countertop Reverse Osmosis
$449-$599 NSF 42, 53, 58, 401, P473
Editorial pick · affiliate link coming soon
Aquasana OptimH2O Reverse Osmosis + Claryum
$429-$549 NSF 42, 53, 58, 401, P473
Editorial pick · affiliate link coming soon
Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO
$600-$750 NSF 58, 372
View on retailer →
Waterdrop N1 Countertop RO
$249-$329 NSF 58, 372
View on retailer →
Clearly Filtered Pitcher Filter
$80-$95 NSF 42, 53, 401, P473
Editorial pick · affiliate link coming soon

Reverse Osmosis

$249-$750

Arsenic is most effectively removed by reverse osmosis. Some specialized adsorptive filters also work.

AquaTru Countertop Reverse Osmosis
$449-$599 NSF 42, 53, 58, 401, P473
Editorial pick · affiliate link coming soon
Aquasana OptimH2O Reverse Osmosis + Claryum
$429-$549 NSF 42, 53, 58, 401, P473
Editorial pick · affiliate link coming soon
Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO
$600-$750 NSF 58, 372
View on retailer →
Waterdrop N1 Countertop RO
$249-$329 NSF 58, 372
View on retailer →

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 58/100 breaks down across five weighted components. Read the full methodology →

Health Guideline Performance
10 / 40
Legal Compliance
20 / 20
High-Risk Contaminants
11 / 20
Compliance History
10 / 10
Source Water Vulnerability
7 / 10

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 →

🇪🇺
This water would fail European Union drinking water standards. One or more detected contaminants exceed EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184 limits, even though they may be fully legal under US EPA rules. View the standards we compare against →
Contaminant Detected EWG
US health-based
EPA
US legal
EU DWD
Europe
WHO
global
CA PHG
strictest US
Tested
sample year
Status
Arsenic
Heavy metal
0.5 ppb 0.004 10.0 10 10 0.004 125× over
Haloacetic acids (HAA9)
Disinfection byproduct
6.36 ppb 0.06 106× over
Bromochloroacetic acid
Disinfection byproduct
1.81 ppb 0.02 90× over
6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTSA)
Other
60.2 ppt 1.0 60× over
Dibromoacetic acid
Disinfection byproduct
1.72 ppb 0.03 57× over
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Disinfection byproduct
4.13 ppb 0.1 60.0 60 41× over
Chromium (hexavalent)
Heavy metal
0.655 ppb 0.02 33× over
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
Disinfection byproduct
3.18 ppb 0.15 80.0 100 21× over
Bromodichloromethane
Disinfection byproduct
0.884 ppb 0.06 15× over
Dibromochloromethane
Disinfection byproduct
1.31 ppb 0.1 13× over
Dichloroacetic acid
Disinfection byproduct
2.33 ppb 0.2 12× over
Radium, combined (-226 and -228)
Radiological
0.47 pCi/L 0.05 5.0 9.4× over
Nitrate
Inorganic
1.05 ppm 0.14 10.0 11.3 11.3 10 7.5× over
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
PFAS
0.368 ppt 0.09 4.0 100 100 0.007 4.1× over
Chlorite
Disinfection byproduct
185.5 ppb 50.0 1000.0 3.7× over
Uranium
Radiological
1.2 pCi/L 0.43 20.0 30 30 0.43 2.8× over
Atrazine
Pesticide/Herbicide
0.202 ppb 0.1 3.0 0.1 100 0.15 Fails EU
Bromoform
Disinfection byproduct
0.944 ppb 0.5 1.9× over
Chloroform
Disinfection byproduct
0.453 ppb 0.4 1.1× over
Trichloroacetic acid
Disinfection byproduct
0.0885 ppb 0.1 Below guideline
Vanadium
Other
11.5 ppb 21.0 Below guideline
4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
PFAS
0.305 ppt 1.0 Below guideline
Barium
Heavy metal
147.8 ppb 700.0 2000.0 1300 2000 Below guideline
Chlorate
Disinfection byproduct
37.5 ppb 210.0 Below guideline
Molybdenum
Other
4.15 ppb 40.0 Below guideline
Simazine
Pesticide/Herbicide
0.00957 ppb 0.1 4.0 Below guideline
Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA)
PFAS
71.9 ppt 1000.0 Below guideline
Manganese
Heavy metal
4.54 ppb 100.0 50 80 Below guideline
Selenium
Heavy metal
0.922 ppb 30.0 50.0 20 40 30 Below guideline
Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA)
PFAS
9.62 ppt 1000.0 Below guideline
Aluminum
Heavy metal
4.03 ppb 600.0 200 600 Below guideline
Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA)
PFAS
2.33 ppt 1000.0 Below guideline
Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS)
PFAS
1.23 ppt 2000.0 Below guideline
Strontium
Radiological
0.477 ppb 1500.0 Below guideline
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHPA)
PFAS
0.314 ppt 1000.0 Below guideline
Xylenes (total)
Volatile organic compound
0.0227 ppb 1800.0 10000.0 Below guideline
1-Butanol
Other
0.356 ppb Below guideline
Cyanide
Inorganic
6.11 ppb 200.0 50 70 150 Below guideline
Fluoride
Inorganic
0.32 ppm 4.0 1.5 1.5 Below guideline
Hexadecanoic acid
Other
5.45 ppb Below guideline
Lithium
Other
17.4 ppb Below guideline
Octadecanoic acid
Other
4.53 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 SUGAR LAND service area

This water system serves 1 community in Fort Bend County, Texas. Click any city for its dedicated tap water quality page.

About this water system

Public Water System ID
TX0790005
Owner type
Local government
Source water
Surface water
Service connections
31,716
Service area
SUGAR LAND, Fort Bend County, Texas