Water Quality Report · Updated October 07, 2026
CITY OF WACO
CITY OF WACO delivers tap water graded D (61/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 146,241 residents in WACO, 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 254-750-5600.
Is WACO tap water safe to drink?
CITY OF WACO delivers tap water that earns a grade of D (61/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a below-average rating, with multiple concerns including haloacetic acids (haa9) significantly above health guideline.
The utility serves 146,241 residents in WACO, 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 15 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Arsenic, Bromochloroacetic acid, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Dibromoacetic acid, Dichloroacetic acid, Bromate, Chloroform, Trichloroacetic acid, Bromoform, 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.
EPA compliance record
Official U.S. EPA records for CITY OF WACO (system ID TX1550008) 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 WACO 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 WACO.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 27.6 ppb, 459x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Arsenic significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 1.73 ppb, 433x above the EWG health guideline of 0.004 ppb.
Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernBromochloroacetic acid detected at 5.83 ppb, 291x above the EWG health guideline of 0.02 ppb.
Contact CITY OF WACO
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 WACO
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 61/100 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 |
27.6 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 459× over |
| Arsenic Heavy metal |
1.73 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 433× over |
| Bromochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
5.83 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 291× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
42.9 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 286× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
13.6 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 226× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
14.7 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 147× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
13.2 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 132× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
3.84 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 128× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
7.77 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 39× over |
| Bromate Disinfection byproduct |
3.06 ppb | 0.1 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.1 | — | 31× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
9.22 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 23× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
1.45 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 15× over |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
4.98 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 10× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
0.221 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 1.6× over |
| Atrazine Pesticide/Herbicide |
0.135 ppb | 0.1 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 100 | 0.15 | — | Fails EU |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.0165 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Cyanide (free) Inorganic |
88.3 ppb | 150.0 | — | 50 | 70 | 150 | — | Fails EU |
| Aluminum Heavy metal |
104.1 ppb | 600.0 | — | 200 | — | 600 | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
1.36 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Barium Heavy metal |
41.5 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
1.67 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Selenium Heavy metal |
0.517 ppb | 30.0 | 50.0 | 20 | 40 | 30 | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese Heavy metal |
1.18 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) PFAS |
3.25 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Monobromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.0448 ppb | 25.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Monochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.0896 ppb | 53.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.304 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Cyanide Inorganic |
100.0 ppb | — | 200.0 | 50 | 70 | 150 | — | Fails EU |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.59 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Germanium Other |
0.068 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Hexadecanoic acid Other |
6.5 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Octadecanoic acid Other |
5.8 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.
CITY OF WACO service area
This water system serves 1 community in McLennan County, Texas. Click any city for its dedicated tap water quality page.
Find the right filter for WACO water
Browse filter categories by water-quality concern. Each option below is NSF-certified for the matched contaminant type.