Dallas Water Utilities
Dallas, TX tap water quality
Dallas's tap water scores 76 out of 100 on published data, a middling result: legal on every reported measure, but with readings above health-based guidance. EPA's UCMR 5 monitoring detected PFAS (PFPeA 18.2 ppt); lead measured 1.09 ppb at the 90th percentile against a 15 ppb action level.
Every figure, with its benchmark
Subscores run from 100 at the health benchmark to 0 at the legal limit. The city score is the weighted average of the 4 inputs published for this system.
| Measure | Result | Health benchmark | Legal limit | Subscore | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 1.09 ppb 2024 | 1 | 15 | 99 | EPA SDWIS |
| TTHMs | 19.7 ppb | 15 | 80 | 93 | Utility report |
| HAA5 | 15.1 ppb | 15 | 60 | 100 | Utility report |
| PFAS | PFPeA 18.2 ppt | non-detect | any | 25 | EPA UCMR 5 |
Is there PFAS in Dallas's water?
Yes. EPA's UCMR 5 monitoring detected PFAS in Dallas's system. The compounds and levels recorded were: PFPeA 18.2; PFHxA 17.9; PFBA 13.2; PFBS 7.6 parts per trillion. For context, EPA's enforceable limits for PFOA and PFOS are 4 ppt each, phased in through 2029; several other compounds have no federal limit yet.
How much lead is in Dallas's tap water?
Dallas's most recent lead 90th-percentile result is 1.09 ppb. That means nine in ten sampled homes measured at or below that level, and it is a summary figure, not the maximum any single household saw. The federal action level is 15 ppb, but that is a trigger for utility action, not a health threshold: no level of lead exposure is considered safe (EPA, CDC), and lead almost always enters through household plumbing and service lines rather than the treatment plant.
Is Dallas tap water safe to drink?
Dallas's water meets federal legal standards on the measures its utility reports. We score it 76 out of 100 against health-based guidance, which is stricter than the legal minimum by design. Those are two different questions, and most coverage collapses them: a supply can be entirely lawful and still carry readings above the level health researchers would prefer. This score answers the second question, and the table above shows exactly which measure moved it.
Has Dallas's water been in violation?
EPA's compliance record shows 4 violations for this system, none of them health-based. Health-based violations are the ones where a contaminant exceeded a legal limit or treatment failed; the rest are monitoring and reporting failures, which matter but describe paperwork rather than water. The most recent entry dates from 2007.
What can you do about it?
If lead is the concern here, the fix is almost never the treatment plant: it's the service line and the plumbing inside the building. Running the tap for thirty seconds after long stagnation, using cold water for drinking and cooking, and asking your utility whether your address has a lead service line are all free. A filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead is the next step. If PFAS is the concern, NSF/ANSI 53 does not cover it: look for NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis or a filter specifically certified under NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS reduction.
Compare Dallas with the rest
Fifty of the largest US systems, scored the same way, every figure cited.