Skip to content
TapBuff
ZIP

Is Austin, TX tap water safe?

15 utilities serve Austin, by EPA’s records. Here is what EPA’s and Texas’s records show for each, against the legal limits and the stricter health goals.

Matched to your utility using EPA records.

The short answer

3 of the 15 utilities serving Austin 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 Austin Water & Wastewater, Travis County WCID 19 and West Travis County Public Utility Agency.

City of Austin Water & Wastewater, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 4.8 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.

The water from City of Austin Water & Wastewater is moderately hard on average, 93 mg/L (5.4 grains per gallon), ranging from 70 to 126 mg/L. How it compares.

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 Austin’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

5 more utilities in Austin

By EPA’s estimate, each serves fewer people in Austin than those above.

MUD stands for municipal utility district, a local water and sewer district common in Texas.

What handles it

Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of Austin Water & Wastewater’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.

Disclosure: 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

Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near Austin

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 Texas certifies.

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

  • Texas Department of State Health Services Laboratory Services Section

    Austin, TX · about 1 mile

    Certified for bacteria, lead and copper

    (512) 458-7318

  • Integrity Testing, Inc.

    Austin, TX · about 7 miles

    Certified for lead and copper

    (512) 891-7777

  • Aqua-Tech Laboratories, Inc.

    Austin, TX · about 9 miles

    Certified for bacteria, lead and copper

    (512) 301-9559

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 Texas

ZIP codes in Austin

Which ZIP codes are in Austin: 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: TCEQ, drinking water laboratories approved for public water system samples; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.

Near Austin

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

What to do next