City of Elsa water quality report, rewritten
- Serves
- 5,500
- Connections
- 2,194
- Water source
- Surface water
- Based in
- Elsa, TX
- County
- Hidalgo
- Owner
- Local government
The ZIP code it serves
PWSID TX10800052026 edition · EPA data
Read this first
- Lithium (above EPA’s health benchmark) was found in four of 4 samples, highest 52.8 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.
- Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 25 monitoring or reporting violations, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.
What handles itWhat was found
Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.
Lithium (above EPA’s health benchmark)
Comes from the source
52.8ppb
Highest of 4 samples; found in four
Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Feb. 27, 2023 to Nov. 14, 2023. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.
Lead (above the health goal)
Comes from pipes, often your own
1.7ppb
90th percentile, 2022 to 2024
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53Look for: Lead Reduction
- NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Lead Reduction
EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2007 to 2024. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.
Also found, with no federal limit
EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.
| Compound | Highest sample | Found in | Certification claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFBA | 15 ppt | 1 of 4 | None covers it |
| PFHxA | 3.0 ppt | 1 of 4 | None covers it |
Tested and not found
Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 27, 2023 to Nov. 14, 2023. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.
All 27 compounds tested and not found
- 11Cl-PF3OUdS
- 4:2 FTS
- 6:2 FTS
- 8:2 FTS
- 9Cl-PF3ONS
- ADONA
- HFPO-DA (GenX)
- NEtFOSAA
- NFDHA
- NMeFOSAA
- PFBS
- PFDA
- PFDoA
- PFEESA
- PFHpA
- PFHpS
- PFHxS
- PFMBA
- PFMPA
- PFNA
- PFOA
- PFOS
- PFPeA
- PFPeS
- PFTA
- PFTrDA
- PFUnA
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 25 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claim: Lead Reduction
For: Lead
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claim: Lead Reduction
For: Lead
At the tap, or for the whole house?
Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
What this report cannot tell you
- Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in City of Elsa’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
- Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
- Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Feb. 27, 2023 to Nov. 14, 2023.
What to do next
Read up on the 2 marked results
What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.
Start with LithiumGet the utility’s own report
City of Elsa must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.
How to read itTest your own tap for lead
Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.
Lead in your water: what to doCompare certified filters
What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.
Compare five-year costs
Other Texas utilities
- City of Houston3 million
- San Antonio Water System2.6 million
- Dallas Water Utility1.4 million
- City of Austin Water & Wastewater1.1 million
- City of Fort Worth955,900
- El Paso Water Utilities747,168
- City of Arlington413,955
- City of Corpus Christi318,387
- City of Plano292,059
- Lubbock Public Water System275,041
- City of Irving264,546
- City of Laredo260,046
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Aug. 27, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q2
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.