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City of San Benito water quality report, rewritten

Serves
24,250
Connections
7,550
Water source
Surface water
Based in
San Benito, TX
County
Cameron
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

78586

PWSID TX0310007 · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS (above the health goal) was found in four of 8 samples, highest 4.8 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Lithium (above EPA’s health benchmark) was found in eight of 8 samples, highest 49.3 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

1 health-based violation since 2016. Details are below.

What handles it

What 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.

PFAS and lithium: EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Feb. 18, 2025 to Dec. 30, 2025. Each blue tick on a scale is one sample where it was found.

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

PFOS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

4.8 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in four

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

49.3ppb

Highest of 8 samples; found in eight

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.

PFHxS

Comes from the source

5.3ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in six

Detected, below the legal limit and the health goal.

What handles it

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.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFBA9.6 ppt6 of 8None covers it
PFHxA8.6 ppt6 of 8None covers it
PFPeA8.0 ppt7 of 8None covers it
PFHpA3.0 ppt2 of 8NSF/ANSI 53: Total PFAS Reduction

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 18, 2025 to Dec. 30, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 24 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment RuleToo many readings in a month showed cloudiness above the filtration standard.EPA: Monthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR)Oct. 1, 2016 to Oct. 31, 2016—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 4 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

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: PFOS Reduction

    Other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

    For: PFOS

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claim: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

    For: PFOS

At the tap, or for the whole house?

These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. How whole-house systems compare.

Compare five-year costs

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 San Benito’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. 18, 2025 to Dec. 30, 2025.

Other Texas utilities

All Texas utilities

Sources

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 PFOS

  • Get the utility’s own report

    City of San Benito must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  • Test 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 do

  • Compare certified filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs