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Is Houston, MO tap water safe?

3 utilities serve Houston, by EPA’s records. Here is what EPA’s and CDC’s records show for each, against the legal limits and the stricter health goals.

Matched to your utility using EPA records.

The short answer

None of the 3 utilities serving Houston has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records.

Houston PWS, which serves the most people here, has nothing above a health goal in EPA’s and CDC’s records. That data covers what its report lists, not everything.

A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Houston’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

Water testing near Houston

A utility tests the water it sends out. A test of your own tap shows what your pipes add, and on a private well it is the only test there is. It takes a lab Missouri certifies.

The 3 labs Missouri certifies closest to Houston, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Fort Leonard Wood Department of Public Health-U.S. Army

    Fort Leonard Wood, MO · about 30 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (573) 329-1909

  • Perfect Water Testing

    Salem, MO · about 32 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (573) 729-6451

  • Water Smart Testing LLC

    Rolla, MO · about 43 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (573) 201-6256

Missouri State Public Health Laboratory: Coliform and E. coli testing for private wells and other private drinking water sources, in kits from your local public health agency. A free state courier can carry the sample to the lab overnight. The handling fee is $10, by check or money order. Private Drinking Water Bacteriological Testing, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

All 64 certified labs for Missouri

ZIP codes in Houston

Which ZIP codes are in Houston: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Missouri DNR, certified microbiological and chemical laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.

Near Houston

Other towns in Texas County with a page of their own.

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