Water Quality Report · Updated May 12, 2026
HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM
HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM delivers tap water graded D (59/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 85,900 residents in HARLINGEN, Texas using surface water. 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. For questions, the utility can be reached at 956-430-6162.
Is HARLINGEN tap water safe to drink?
HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM delivers tap water that earns a grade of D (59/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a below-average rating, with multiple concerns including arsenic significantly above health guideline.
The utility serves 85,900 residents in HARLINGEN, 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 arsenic significantly above health guideline.
Public testing data identifies 15 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Arsenic, Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Bromochloroacetic acid, Dibromoacetic acid, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Chloroform, Bromoform, Uranium, Nitrate, Chromium (hexavalent). 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 HARLINGEN residents
Top concerns in this water
Based on the most recent EPA and EWG data, these are the most significant water quality issues for HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM.
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.
Contact HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM
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 HARLINGEN
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in this 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (4th ed.), California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
HARLINGEN WATER WORKS SYSTEM 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 HARLINGEN water
Browse filter categories by water-quality concern. Each option below is NSF-certified for the matched contaminant type.