EWG Tap Water Database
What's Really in Houston Tap Water?
Houston's water meets every federal legal standard. But legal limits and health guidelines
are not the same thing, and the Environmental Working Group found contaminants
above science-based health guidelines in the City of Houston system.
Disinfection Byproduct
599×
Haloacetic Acids (HAA9)
Formed when disinfectant reacts with organic matter in the water. Linked to increased cancer risk.
Disinfection Byproduct
203×
Total Trihalomethanes
The other major byproduct group. Legal up to 80 ppb, but the health guideline is far stricter.
Metal / Carcinogen
37×
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr-6)
Known carcinogen. There is no federal limit for Cr-6 at all, only for total chromium.
Hardness / Scale
13.4 gr
Total Hardness
Past 10.5 grains counts as "very hard." This is the scale, the spotted glasses and the soap that won't lather. Suburban MUDs run higher.
Contaminant levels and health guidelines: EWG Tap Water Database, City of Houston (PWS TX1010013), based on 2021–2023 testing.
Hardness: City of Houston 2025 Water Quality Report, Main System, 135.5 ppm average and 229 ppm maximum as calcium carbonate.
Legal limits: EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.