CITY WATER REPORT
Is Austin Tap Water Safe? 2026 Water Quality Report
CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER serves Austin · 1,115,323 residents.
- Utility
- CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER
- Population served
- 1,115,323
- Water source
- Surface water
- Disinfectant
- chloramine
- Hardness
- 5.4 gpg · moderately hard
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): not detected (limit 4.0 ng/L).
About this score The Purity Score summarises the public records PurityMap analysed for Austin. It is not a laboratory test of the water at your tap.
What the record showsGreen means a contaminant was measured and is within its benchmark: a fact about that measurement, not an overall verdict. Anything not yet monitored stays unknown.
CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER (EPA PWSID TX2270001) delivers surface water to 1,115,323 residents. This report reflects 3 federally regulated PFAS result(s) from the 2024 UCMR5 round and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. The utility's 2025 CCR reports moderately hard water and chloramine disinfection.
Your water system
resolution confirmed
- CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER (serves most of the city)
CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER is the primary municipal supplier for most Austin addresses. Confirm your supplier on your utility bill.
CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER is the public system on record for this city. This identifies which utility serves the city. Confirm yours on your water bill before acting on a specific finding.
What stands out in Austin
Each row links to a dated measurement in the supplier profile. A missing measurement is never shown as a non-detect.
What this data doesn’t tell you
Public water-system monitoring reflects the system, not the water at an individual household tap at a given moment. Home plumbing, fixtures, storage, sampling location and timing can all change what actually reaches your glass.
The data behind this report
| Contaminant | Result | Benchmark | Sampled | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | < 4 ng/L | 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER (TX2270001) |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) | 4.8 ng/L | 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER (TX2270001) |
| Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) | 6.2 ng/L | 10.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER (TX2270001) |
| Lead (90th percentile) | 0 µg/L | 15 µg/L federal action level | 2022-2024 | Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile: CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER (TX2270001) |
| Water hardness | 5.4 gpg | Aesthetic, no federal health limit | 2025 | Austin Water 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | 45.5 ppb | 80 ppb federal MCL | 2025 | Austin Water 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | 15.6 ppb | 60 ppb federal MCL | 2025 | Austin Water 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) |
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Result
- < 4 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Result
- 4.8 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Result
- 6.2 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 10.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Lead (90th percentile)
- Result
- 0 µg/L
- Benchmark
- 15 µg/L federal action level
- Sampled
- 2022-2024
Water hardness
- Result
- 5.4 gpg
- Benchmark
- Aesthetic, no federal health limit
- Sampled
- 2025
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
- Result
- 45.5 ppb
- Benchmark
- 80 ppb federal MCL
- Sampled
- 2025
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Result
- 15.6 ppb
- Benchmark
- 60 ppb federal MCL
- Sampled
- 2025
Every value is the published result from the cited public record. A reporting limit is the lowest level the method could reliably quantify; a non-detect is not a guarantee of zero.
What can you do about it?To reduce exposure to what was reported in Austin, these treatment technologies are relevant to the contaminants found here.
- Reverse osmosis
- Activated carbon (GAC)
- Anion exchange
- NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified filters
- Replacing lead service lines
- Ion-exchange water softener
- Salt-free conditioner
- Reverse osmosis (point-of-use)
- Activated carbon
Understand water treatment technologies, then the specific products below are matched to these findings.
Recommended solutions
Reverse-osmosis or NSF/ANSI 53 PFAS-reduction system
pfasOur pick: Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System, 800 GPD
Recommended because PFAS were measured above their federal limits here; RO and certified PFAS filters are the effective removal methods.
Also worth considering
NSF/ANSI 53 lead-reduction filter (optional)
leadOur pick: Brita Large 10-Cup Elite Water Filter Pitcher, WQA NSF/ANSI Certified, Reduces 99% of Lead, Microplastics, & 30 Contaminants, BPA-Free, Removes Chlorine Taste & Odor, 1 Filter Included, White
Recommended because There is no safe level of lead, and older home plumbing can add it at the tap.
Recommendations are matched to the published findings first; the commercial offer is looked up afterwards and never changes which products qualify. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
Who provides tap water in Austin?
CITY OF AUSTIN WATER & WASTEWATER (PWS ID TX2270001) is the public water system on record for Austin, Texas. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding.
Where does Austin get its drinking water?
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS).
What does the latest Austin water report show?
Across the tracked parameters, PurityMap's current record for Austin shows 1 contaminant measured above its benchmark and 6 within benchmark. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass.
Is there lead in Austin's tap water?
In Austin, lead is detected but within its action level in the published record. Lead can still enter water from household plumbing after it leaves the system, so a system result cannot rule out an individual tap. A certified home test is the only way to know yours.
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Austin's water?
At least one PFAS compound is measured above its benchmark in Austin's published record. See the findings for the specific compound and value.
Is Austin's water hard?
Austin's water is recorded as 5.4 gpg, moderately hard. Hardness is an aesthetic and plumbing characteristic, not a health-based limit.
Sources
Methodology: how we analyze water. Prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by the PurityMap Editorial Team before publication.
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- Systems published
- 1 of 1
- Latest sample on record
- 2024 (PFAS) / LCR (lead)