Is Alpine, TX tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 2 utilities serving Alpine have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Texas’s records: City of Alpine and McElroy Ranch Water System.
City of Alpine, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 27.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
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 Alpine’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Alpine
Texas · serves 6,000 people · about 500 in Alpine
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 27.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
McElroy Ranch Water System
Texas · serves 45 people · based in Alpine
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 4.9 ppb, above the health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of Alpine’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Alpine
No lab Texas certifies is within 75 miles of Alpine on the state’s list. Some take samples by mail; the state’s page lists them all.
Texas Well Owner Network, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Well Informed screening events, where well owners bring in water samples to be screened for common contaminants, followed by an hour-long session explaining the results. Upcoming events are on the network's calendar. Trainings, Texas Well Owner Network.
All 80 certified labs for TexasWhich ZIP codes are in Alpine: 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.
What to do next
- Read City of Alpine’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water