Arsenic in Texas well water
In Texas, 9% of 6,543 tested private well samples exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L).
Arsenic occurs naturally in New England bedrock and dissolves into well water. Long-term exposure raises the risk of bladder, lung and skin cancers, and is linked to heart disease and lower IQ in children. It has no taste or smell, so testing is the only way to know.
Check your arsenic number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Getting it fixed
Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company, or see the treatment guide for what removes arsenic.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (10 ug/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Samples | Detected | Above EPA limit | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson | 69 | 96% | 91% | 20.2 | 172 ug/L |
| Terry | 31 | 90% | 84% | 14.5 | 64 ug/L |
| Yoakum | 63 | 90% | 71% | 14.1 | 80.2 ug/L |
| Gaines | 38 | 97% | 71% | 14 | 34.7 ug/L |
| Lynn | 37 | 95% | 68% | 11.8 | 61.8 ug/L |
| Martin | 81 | 86% | 67% | 15.1 | 240 ug/L |
| Howard | 63 | 79% | 54% | 11 | 223 ug/L |
| Duval | 78 | 86% | 50% | 10.4 | 123 ug/L |
| Starr | 34 | 79% | 47% | 6.95 | 99.4 ug/L |
| Presidio | 48 | 77% | 31% | 5.88 | 44.3 ug/L |
| Lubbock | 34 | 97% | 29% | 7.71 | 18 ug/L |
| Midland | 62 | 60% | 27% | 4.92 | 36.8 ug/L |
| Lamb | 33 | 94% | 24% | 5.31 | 15.3 ug/L |
| Live Oak | 59 | 68% | 24% | 3.17 | 569 ug/L |
| Floyd | 42 | 100% | 17% | 5.74 | 11.7 ug/L |
- Seminole CCD, Gaines County78% of 32
- Tarzan-Lenorah CCD, Martin County69% of 68
- Plains CCD, Yoakum County66% of 47
- Big Spring North CCD, Howard County62% of 55
- Marfa CCD, Presidio County32% of 37
- Midland South CCD, Midland County28% of 58
- George West CCD, Live Oak County14% of 44
- Van Horn Rural CCD, Culberson County9% of 34
- Big Lake CCD, Reagan County8% of 59
- Panhandle CCD, Carson County3% of 37
- Hereford West CCD, Deaf Smith County0% of 33
- Victoria West CCD, Victoria County0% of 30
- Stinnett CCD, Hutchinson County0% of 32
- Dalhart CCD, Dallam County0% of 32
- East Tom Green CCD, Tom Green County0% of 41
- Gruver CCD, Hansford County0% of 35
- Canadian South CCD, Hemphill County0% of 30
- San Antonio North CCD, Bexar County0% of 45
- San Antonio Northwest CCD, Bexar County0% of 39
- Austin CCD, Travis County0% of 67
Sources
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. arsenic counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.