Tap Water Quality Report
Tap water quality in HARLINGEN, Texas
Tap water in HARLINGEN, Texas receives a grade of F (59/100) from TapWaterSafety.org. It's served by HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM. The most significant water quality concerns are: Arsenic significantly above health guideline; Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline; Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline. Data sources: EPA SDWIS, EPA ECHO, EWG Tap Water Database.
What's in HARLINGEN's tap water
Top water quality concerns identified by the EPA and Environmental Working Group across the utility serving HARLINGEN.
Arsenic significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 3.37 ppb, 842x above the EWG health guideline of 0.004 ppb.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 23.4 ppb, 390x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Bromochloroacetic acid significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernBromochloroacetic acid detected at 6.64 ppb, 332x above the EWG health guideline of 0.02 ppb.
Recommended filters for HARLINGEN
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in HARLINGEN's water supply.
Reverse Osmosis
$249-$750Arsenic is most effectively removed by reverse osmosis. Some specialized adsorptive filters also work.
Carbon block (NSF/ANSI 42 + 53)
$40-$750Activated carbon is highly effective for disinfection byproducts like TTHM and HAA5.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
All contaminants detected in HARLINGEN's tap water
Every contaminant identified, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic Heavy metal |
3.37 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 842× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
23.4 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 390× over |
| Bromochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
6.64 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 332× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
6.33 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 211× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
25.4 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 169× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
15.5 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 155× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
7.54 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 126× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
7.55 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 75× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
7.07 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 35× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
1.97 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 20× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
5.39 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 13× over |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
5.02 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 10× over |
| Uranium Radiological |
2.08 pCi/L | 0.43 | 20.0 | 30 | 30 | 0.43 | — | 4.8× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
0.262 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 1.9× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.0276 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.4× over |
| Aluminum Heavy metal |
398.3 ppb | 600.0 | — | 200 | — | 600 | — | Fails EU |
| Vanadium Other |
6.07 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
6.66 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Barium Heavy metal |
92.5 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| Selenium Heavy metal |
2.42 ppb | 30.0 | 50.0 | 20 | 40 | 30 | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese Heavy metal |
1.89 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Monobromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.178 ppb | 25.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) PFAS |
4.94 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
1.43 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) PFAS |
0.375 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA) PFAS |
0.375 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Cyanide Inorganic |
36.7 ppb | — | 200.0 | 50 | 70 | 150 | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.643 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Hexadecanoic acid Other |
3.84 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Lithium Other |
40.5 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Nitrite Inorganic |
0.0375 ppm | — | 1.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Octadecanoic acid Other |
17.0 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Tetradecanoic acid Other |
4.3 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, California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
Treatment plant contact info
For service issues, water quality concerns, or to request a Consumer Confidence Report from HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM.