PFOA
Not detected above reporting limit
- Sample date
- Reporting limit
- 0.004 µg/L
- Sample ID
- 2502H96-001A
Texas
Water in Houston, TX
Harris County, Texas · City overview · Page updated 2026-10-20
PFAS testing · samples through 2025-02-21
Limited coverage
Water summary
Where Houston gets its water
Houston Water is the likely provider for the mapped location in Houston. Check your utility bill to confirm service at your address. The sources below describe the supply network; they do not establish water quality at your tap.
- Likely water system
- Houston Water →
- Water sources
- Lake Houston, Lake Livingston, Chicot Aquifer
- Watershed
- Buffalo-San Jacinto
Public drinking-water record
Drinking water in Houston
Houston Water is listed for this area. Check your utility bill to confirm who supplies your home. These are public water-system records, not a test of the tap water at your home.
PFAS testing in Houston’s drinking water
46 PFAS sample results had reported detections. Most recent PFAS sample shown here: .
PFOS
Not detected above reporting limit
- Sample date
- Reporting limit
- 0.004 µg/L
- Sample ID
- 2502H96-001A
PFHxA
0.0037 µg/L
- Sample date
- Reporting limit
- 0.003 µg/L
- Sample ID
- 23111408.05
Selected latest compound samples from the published federal system record. Multiple sample points may share a date. A detection does not establish a violation. A non-detection does not mean PFAS-free. PFOA and PFOS limits and regulatory context are separate from these historical samples.
Lead and copper
Lead: 0.005 mg/L, period ending 2024-06-30. These are system 90th-percentile results, not individual household concentrations.
EPA UCMR5 source and sampling program · EPA ECHO compliance and lead/copper records · Testing and source records for Houston Water
U.S. Drought Monitor ·
Drought around this place
This is the latest drought map in this publication, effective 2026-10-13; it is not a live report.
Harris County, Texas: 82.89% of county area in D1 or worse; 100% in D0 or worse. D0 means abnormally dry. On 2026-10-06, D1 or worse covered 70.09%.
County area shares at or above each severity: D2 3.92% · D3 0% · D4 0%. These cumulative percentages overlap and must not be added. County conditions do not describe every point in a city or a drinking-water restriction.
Texas drought and water context
Open the drought map and historical playback · U.S. Drought Monitor source
Loading the local water map…
Drought, streams, rainfall & wells
Latest water conditions
Read each measure with its date. Rainfall, streams and groundwater can change at different rates.
Drought
Severe droughtSevere drought
Severe drought affects part of the county; this is county context, not an exact city boundary.
Older report · 2026-10-13U.S. Drought Monitor
Published or effective 2026-10-13. Water Around last checked 2026-10-20T12:00:15.835637+00:00. This report may not describe conditions today.
Streamflow
Below seasonal rangeBelow seasonal range
Flow at this gauge was lower than usual for the season.
Older report · 2026-10-19USGS daily mean discharge
Published or effective 2026-10-19. Water Around last checked 2026-10-20T11:59:36.282Z. This report may not describe conditions today.
Recent rainfall
1.295 inches in 30 days1.295 inches in 30 days
76% below the 1991–2020 station normal for this period.
Older report · 2026-10-17NOAA station observations
Published or effective 2026-10-17. Water Around last checked 2026-10-20T11:59:57.234Z. This report may not describe conditions today.
Groundwater
Method developingMonitoring is available
Measurements are available at nearby wells. An overall groundwater condition is not calculated from them.
5 nearby monitoring wellsYour public water system
Houston Water
The mapped location falls within this system’s EPA service area. Confirm service to your home with the utility.
Houston Water →TX1010013 · community
Local compliance cacheA reporting-period record is available for this system. When federal records are available, you can read them in the drinking-water section above. Neither source is a live test of water at your tap.
Your watershed
City of Houston-Buffalo Bayou
A watershed is the land area where rain and streams drain toward a shared outlet. It helps explain natural water conditions, but it may not match the area supplying your tap.
- Local watershed
- City of Houston-Buffalo Bayou
- Broader basin
- Buffalo-San Jacinto
Below ground
Groundwater near Houston
Aquifers can supply water; monitoring wells measure water levels at individual sites. One well does not describe an entire aquifer or your household well.
Groundwater sources
Chicot Aquifer
A documented groundwater source for the public-water network serving Houston.
This source has not been matched to a national aquifer map.Evangeline Aquifer
A documented groundwater source for the public-water network serving Houston.
This source has not been matched to a national aquifer map.Nearby monitoring
5 nearby monitoring wells
USGS-294728095200103 →3.04 miles away · its measurements describe that well only
USGS-294338095270403 →5.4 miles away · its measurements describe that well only
Reading well data
What well measurements can tell you
A well’s water level does not tell us how much water an aquifer holds. Pumping totals alone do not show depletion, and a surface map does not show the aquifer’s full underground extent. To understand water quality in a private well, use tests from that well and local guidance.
Texas water planning
Water planning in Houston
Explore Houston’s Region H water plans, with surface water and groundwater shown separately.
State records
Supply
About these records
These details come from official state plans and reports. A planning estimate describes what may be needed or supplied, not what was measured today.
- Measure
- Planned supply
- Reporting period
- Plan cycle
State records
Demand
About these records
These details come from official state plans and reports. A planning estimate describes what may be needed or supplied, not what was measured today.
- Measure
- Planning demand
- Reporting period
- Plan cycle
State records
Future demand
About these records
These details come from official state plans and reports. A planning estimate describes what may be needed or supplied, not what was measured today.
- Measure
- Projected demand
- Reporting period
- Plan cycle
Partial records
Groundwater
About these records
These details come from official state plans and reports. A planning estimate describes what may be needed or supplied, not what was measured today.
- Measure
- Groundwater
- Reporting period
- Plan cycle
State records
Water planning
About these records
These details come from official state plans and reports. A planning estimate describes what may be needed or supplied, not what was measured today.
- Measure
- State regional water plan
- Reporting period
- Plan cycle
Water planning regions
Region HRegional water planning areaSources and limitations
Detailed figures for individual water-user groups are not shown in these state overview cards. A recommended project is not necessarily funded or operating.
- Texas Water Development Board: 2027 State Water Plan and regional planning databaseBoard-adopted scenarios and recommended strategies are planning records, not guaranteed outcomes.
- Texas Water Development Board: Population and Water Demand ProjectionsProjected demand is a Board-adopted planning scenario, not observed use.
- Texas Water Development Board: Water Data for TexasStorage, elevation, and groundwater measurements are distinct metrics.
Detailed testing and assessment records are not available here yet.We do not have enough information to show here yet. That does not tell us whether the water is in good or poor condition.
Waters around you
Rivers and lakes near Houston
Nearby rivers and lakes from USGS maps. Proximity does not establish a drinking-water source, public access or shared water conditions.
We have no named river or lake to show in this area yet.
Smaller streams may still be present. This catalog does not include every waterbody.
Water sources
Where Houston's water comes from
Houston Water receives water from Lake Houston, Lake Livingston, Chicot Aquifer, Evangeline Aquifer, and Lake Conroe, according to the source records.
The links show sources and suppliers, not the amount being delivered today. Select one for its source record.
Sources traced upstreamSource coverage does not measure water quality or reliability.
Your water system
Where it gets water
Sources and relationships as a list
Documented current sources or suppliers for Houston Water include Lake Houston, Lake Livingston, Chicot Aquifer, Evangeline Aquifer and Lake Conroe. A relationship does not by itself establish the current delivered amount.
- Houston Water draws from Lake Houston. Current. The relationship is documented; a current delivered amount is not available.
- Houston Water draws from Lake Livingston. Current. The relationship is documented; a current delivered amount is not available.
- Houston Water uses groundwater from Chicot Aquifer. Current. The relationship is documented; a current delivered amount is not available.
- Houston Water uses groundwater from Evangeline Aquifer. Current. The relationship is documented; a current delivered amount is not available.
- Houston Water draws from Lake Conroe. Current. The relationship is documented; a current delivered amount is not available.
Water source types explained
Surface waterWater drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs.
GroundwaterWater pumped from aquifers—bodies of rock or sediment that store and transmit groundwater, not underground lakes.
Wholesale waterA regional supplier can supply your local provider without serving your household directly.
Imported waterYour drinking-water source basin can differ from the watershed where you live.