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Federal water data

County water report

Harris County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Harris County, Texas.

Water grade

B

Water score

65.8

State rank

#22

of 254

Health violations

182

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

302

125,937 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

San Jacinto Rv nr Sheldon, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Harris County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 65.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

182

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

San Jacinto Rv nr Sheldon, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

302

125,937 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

65.8/100

Health violations

182

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Harris County has 6 facilities in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #69 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSIThe Data Center Water Stress Index: 60% the county's water-system stress plus 40% how concentrated data centers already are, scored 0-100. Higher means data-center density and water pressure overlap more here.

69.9

0-100 index

Facility count

6

76.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

+15.8

Compared with US county median

Named operators

DXC TechnologySkybox

Mapped facilities

  • OpenStreetMap data center 487170215

    DXC Technology

    OSM

  • OpenStreetMap data center 543316327

    DXC Technology

    OSM

  • OpenStreetMap data center 543404966

    DXC Technology

    OSM

  • OpenStreetMap data center 587103676

    Facility details limited

    OSM

  • Rice Data Center

    Houston

    OSM

  • Skybox Houston One

    Skybox

    OSM
See the Harris County data-center reportReview methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Harris County.

1 MW1,000 MW
40%100%
799K gallons/dayLow Impact

Your facility would use 1.5% of this county's existing industrial water baseline — well within sustainable range.

1.5% of county industrial baseline53.95 Mgal/day remaining headroom

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Harris County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Harris County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 65.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 182 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Harris County has extensive coverage with 302 active monitoring sites with 125,937 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Harris County

Water Verdict

Harris County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 65.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Harris County has recorded 182 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 3.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Harris County meets baseline safety standards, though the compliance record shows some violations worth watching. Harris County's drinking-water compliance score is 65.8 out of 100. The violation rate for Harris County is 3.1 per 100,000 people served. Running tap water for 30 seconds before drinking can reduce any localized lead exposure from household plumbing. Requesting your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report is the fastest way to identify which specific contaminants were flagged. With 302 active water-quality monitoring sites in Harris County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the San Jacinto Rv gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Harris County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 35.4 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Harris County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Harris County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Harris County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Harris County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

302

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

126K

125,937 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Major, Non-metals

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

1,700cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

Long-term average not yet available.

Primary Streamgage

San Jacinto Rv nr Sheldon, TX

USGS site
08072050
Drainage area
2,879 sq mi

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Harris County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

Try the full calculator →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Harris County, Texas?
Harris County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 65.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 182 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Harris County?
Harris County has 182 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Harris County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 125,937 measurements from 302 monitoring sites in Harris County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Major, Non-metals. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Harris County right now?
Harris County's primary USGS streamgage on the San Jacinto Rv has a pipeline snapshot of 1,700 cubic feet per second. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Harris County water compare to the Texas average?
Harris County's SDWIS water quality score of 65.8/100 is higher than the Texas state average of 30.4. The average water quality grade across Texas is F, based on data from 254 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Harris County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Harris County has a water quality grade of B (65.8/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Harris County have so many water violations?
Harris County has 182 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Harris County rank for water quality in Texas?
Harris County ranks #22 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 65.8/100, it falls in the top third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Williamson County

Texas

B

66.5

Water score

Denton County

Texas

B

66.8

Water score

Rockwall County

Texas

B

66.8

Water score

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.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

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.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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