waterbycounty
Federal water data

Texas Water Quality

Drinking water data for all 254 counties.

Avg Water Score

30.4

State Grade

F

Counties with Data

254

of 254 total

County water atlas

Texas water signals by county

A state-level 2.5D view across drinking-water compliance, watershed impairment, monitoring density, and streamflow snapshot context. Pin any county, switch layers, then use the lens controls to isolate clean systems, violation clusters, or impaired watersheds without leaving the page.

Counties

254

Avg score

30.4

Watersheds

0

ATTAINS counties

Monitoring

223

171 gauges

State atlas layers combine EPA SDWIS health-based violations, EPA ATTAINS 303(d) impairment assessments, EPA Water Quality Portal monitoring sites, and representative USGS NWIS streamflow gauges. Streamflow values are pipeline snapshots, not a real-time stream. County pages include the source-specific detail behind each layer.

Multi-source coverage in Texas

Beyond Drinking Water

EPA SDWIS

254/ 254

counties with drinking-water compliance data

16,632 health violations statewide (5yr)

EPA ATTAINS

—

No §303(d) assessments yet for Texas

EPA WQP

3,625

monitoring sites across 223 counties

1,542,308 total readings (5yr window)

USGS NWIS

171

counties with an active streamgage

15 above152 below

State atlas notes

What stands out in Texas

County water quality is not one number. The strongest read comes from comparing drinking-water compliance against watershed impairment, monitoring density, and streamflow context. Use these signals as a starting point, then open any county profile for source-level detail.

Compliance spread

Baylor County leads the state score table at 86.0/100, while Foard County sits at 0.0/100. That is a 86.0 point gap inside one state.

Zero health violations

13

3+ health violations

203

Monitoring hubs

Harris County302 sitesGalveston County191 sitesBexar County122 sites

Lowest flow reads

Borden County0%Brooks County0%Deaf Smith County0%

Highest current streamflow readings: Scurry County (1905%), Sterling County (1391%), Reeves County (277%). High flow can reflect recent storms or runoff, not necessarily safer source water.

All Texas Counties

CountyWater Score
Baylor County86.0
Crockett County86.0
Dickens County86.0
Franklin County86.0
Glasscock County86.0
Hemphill County86.0
Kinney County86.0
Lavaca County86.0
Reagan County86.0
Roberts County86.0
Schleicher County86.0
Sterling County86.0
Titus County86.0
Dallas County71.8
Potter County71.1
Collin County70.8
Fort Bend County67.8
Bexar County67.5
Denton County66.8
Rockwall County66.8
Williamson County66.5
Harris County65.8
Tarrant County64.6
Bell County64.5
Ellis County64.2
Hidalgo County64.2
Brown County63.8
Gonzales County63.8
Hays County62.2
Wilson County62.0
Maverick County61.7
Travis County61.7
Bowie County61.5
DeWitt County61.2
El Paso County60.6
Guadalupe County60.1
Robertson County59.6
Wichita County59.6
Galveston County59.1
Upshur County58.5
Kaufman County57.5
Atascosa County56.9
Donley County56.8
Ward County56.8
Wood County56.8
Zavala County56.6
Fannin County56.1
Johnson County56.1
Gray County55.6
Nueces County55.5
Moore County55.2
Archer County55.0
Live Oak County53.4
Deaf Smith County53.1
Nacogdoches County52.5
Brazos County52.2
San Saba County51.2
Hopkins County50.5
Cameron County49.6
Medina County49.4
Morris County49.3
Hardin County49.0
Young County48.4
Wharton County48.3
Bailey County47.9
Lamar County47.3
Floyd County46.4
Colorado County45.9
Hansford County45.9
Montgomery County45.7
Lee County45.6
Ochiltree County45.5
Hunt County45.3
Mitchell County45.0
Jackson County44.8
Taylor County44.4
Bastrop County44.0
Liberty County43.9
Cooke County43.5
Winkler County43.3
Camp County43.2
Freestone County43.2
Anderson County41.5
Gregg County40.6
Crane County40.4
Waller County40.1
Leon County39.8
Frio County39.0
Van Zandt County38.9
Swisher County38.7
Hutchinson County38.4
Sutton County38.4
Parmer County38.1
Stephens County37.9
Hill County37.8
Newton County37.8
Austin County37.3
La Salle County36.8
Nolan County36.7
Dimmit County36.5
Goliad County36.2
Sherman County36.1
Hudspeth County35.0
Montague County34.9
Webb County34.9
Culberson County34.7
Carson County34.5
Coleman County34.4
Tom Green County32.3
Ector County32.0
Oldham County31.8
Grayson County31.4
Jeff Davis County31.3
Jefferson County30.8
Uvalde County30.5
Menard County29.9
Willacy County29.8
Armstrong County29.7
Karnes County28.4
Hood County28.3
Tyler County26.2
Red River County26.0
Madison County25.7
Coryell County25.3
Navarro County25.1
Llano County24.7
Smith County24.7
Bandera County24.3
Comal County23.6
San Patricio County23.6
Randall County23.0
Val Verde County22.5
Childress County22.3
Irion County22.3
Starr County22.0
Jack County21.9
Bosque County21.8
Brazoria County21.2
Scurry County21.2
Walker County21.0
Terrell County20.6
Henderson County20.4
Hale County19.5
McLennan County19.2
Caldwell County18.7
Cochran County18.5
Victoria County18.5
Brooks County18.3
Hartley County17.7
Kleberg County17.7
Lipscomb County17.6
Aransas County17.3
Crosby County17.2
Lamb County16.8
Cottle County16.6
Parker County16.5
Reeves County16.4
Milam County16.0
Rusk County15.5
Delta County15.3
Midland County15.2
Erath County14.7
Washington County14.7
Wheeler County13.9
Harrison County13.7
Howard County13.6
Lampasas County13.4
Clay County13.3
Brewster County13.1
Wise County12.7
Collingsworth County12.6
Jim Wells County12.6
Rains County11.9
Mills County11.4
Kendall County11.3
Houston County11.2
Angelina County11.0
Bee County10.9
Jones County10.7
Burleson County10.6
Blanco County10.2
Cass County10.2
McMullen County10.1
Zapata County10.1
Dallam County9.7
Pecos County9.6
Upton County9.3
Jasper County9.2
Fayette County9.1
Chambers County9.0
Gillespie County9.0
Kenedy County8.7
Palo Pinto County8.5
Andrews County8.2
Somervell County8.1
Castro County8.0
Kerr County7.8
Lubbock County7.8
Motley County7.6
Orange County7.6
San Jacinto County7.1
Sabine County6.9
Grimes County6.7
Cherokee County6.6
Eastland County6.5
Limestone County6.5
Calhoun County6.4
Refugio County6.4
Loving County6.0
Marion County5.9
Falls County5.8
Hamilton County5.8
Haskell County5.6
Polk County5.6
Shackelford County5.4
Garza County5.3
Matagorda County5.1
Dawson County4.9
Jim Hogg County4.8
Panola County4.8
Wilbarger County4.7
Kimble County4.6
Shelby County4.6
Presidio County4.5
Fisher County4.4
Terry County4.4
Trinity County4.0
Hardeman County3.8
Runnels County3.4
Callahan County3.2
Comanche County3.2
Yoakum County2.9
Hockley County2.7
Gaines County2.6
Martin County2.6
Knox County2.5
Burnet County2.4
Duval County2.4
Mason County2.1
Coke County1.9
Real County1.8
Throckmorton County1.6
Kent County1.4
Stonewall County1.3
Hall County0.8
Concho County0.7
King County0.5
Lynn County0.4
San Augustine County0.2
Briscoe County0.1
Edwards County0.1
McCulloch County0.1
Borden County0.0
Foard County0.0

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which county in Texas has the best water quality?
Baylor County has the highest SDWIS water quality score in Texas at 86.0/100 (Grade: A). Note: this ranking reflects drinking-water compliance only — watershed health, monitoring density, and streamflow are tracked separately on each county page.
Which county in Texas has the most water violations?
Foard County has among the lowest SDWIS water quality scores in Texas at 0.0/100. See the individual county page for detailed violation history, watershed assessments, monitoring records, and streamflow data.
What are streams and rivers doing across Texas right now?
Of the 171 Texas counties with an active USGS streamgage, 15 are currently flowing above their long-term mean and 152 are flowing below. Above-typical can indicate recent storm runoff; below-typical can indicate drought stress on source water. See each county page for the specific gauge and reading.
Is the tap water safe to drink in Texas?
Texas has an average SDWIS water quality score of 30.4/100 across counties with reporting. Individual county scores vary — check your specific county's page for compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots.
What contaminants are tracked in Texas water supplies?
EPA SDWIS tracks violations for regulated contaminants like lead, nitrates, bacteria, disinfection byproducts, and others. EPA ATTAINS captures broader watershed impairments including mercury, E. coli, sediment, nutrients, and PCBs. The Water Quality Portal aggregates monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. See individual county pages for source-specific detail.
What's the difference between SDWIS, ATTAINS, WQP, and NWIS?
Each one measures a different layer of water. EPA SDWIS tracks drinking-water compliance — whether your public water system met federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards. EPA ATTAINS records §303(d) assessments — what share of a county's rivers, lakes, and streams fail state quality standards under the Clean Water Act. EPA WQP aggregates monitoring records — how many samples have been taken and what's being measured. USGS NWIS provides streamflow snapshots — how much water was flowing through the county's primary streamgage when the pipeline last ran. SDWIS speaks to your tap; the other three speak to source water and the watershed.
What does it mean when a water body is impaired?
An 'impaired' designation under Clean Water Act §303(d) means the state has determined the water body fails to meet its designated-use quality standards — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption — for one or more pollutants. Top causes nationally include mercury, E. coli (and other fecal indicator bacteria), nutrients, sediment, and PCBs. Impairment is a structural signal about the watershed, not necessarily about what comes out of your tap (treatment plants can remove or reduce contaminants before delivery).

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

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