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Harris County MUD 285 water quality report, rewritten

Serves
14,268
Connections
4,756
Water source
Surface water bought from another system
Based in
Houston, TX
County
Harris
Owner
Local government
The 2 ZIP codes it serves

77015, 77049

PWSID TX1012677 · EPA data

Read this first

Nothing in the federal data for this utility is above a health goal. That covers PFAS, lithium, lead and copper; it does not cover everything, so read what this report cannot tell you below.

No health-based violations on file since 2016.

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 Sept. 15, 2023 to May 14, 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 10 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

PFHxS

Comes from the source

4.0ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in four

Detected, below the legal limit and the health goal.

What handles it

PFBS

Comes from the source

4.3ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in five

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

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
PFPeA8.2 ppt7 of 8None covers it
PFBA7.8 ppt8 of 8None covers it
PFHxA7.2 ppt7 of 8None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Sept. 15, 2023 to May 14, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 26 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016.

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 Harris County MUD 285’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 Sept. 15, 2023 to May 14, 2025.

Other Texas utilities

All Texas utilities

Sources

What to do next

  • Nothing here is above a health goal

    In the federal data for this utility. That data does not cover everything, which is why the next step matters.

    Every contaminant TapBuff tracks

  • Get the utility’s own report

    Harris County MUD 285 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

  • Decide if you want a filter at all

    A filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.

    NSF/ANSI standards, decoded