Iron in Texas well water
In Texas, iron was detected in 55% of 9,343 tested private well samples.
Iron is a nuisance rather than a health hazard: rust stains, metallic taste, and clogged fixtures above 300 ug/L. It often occurs with manganese and can feed iron bacteria that foul plumbing.
Check your iron 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 iron.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Samples | Detected | Above EPA limit | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titus | 35 | 100% | no limit | 110 | 22,000 ug/L |
| Freestone | 102 | 97% | no limit | 250 | 28,000 ug/L |
| Jefferson | 32 | 97% | no limit | 335 | 2,381 ug/L |
| San Jacinto | 62 | 97% | no limit | 240 | 42,000 ug/L |
| Van Zandt | 49 | 96% | no limit | 210 | 10,800 ug/L |
| Atascosa | 109 | 94% | no limit | 436 | 153,000 ug/L |
| Polk | 102 | 94% | no limit | 232 | 23,000 ug/L |
| Wood | 65 | 94% | no limit | 100 | 9,100 ug/L |
| Bastrop | 122 | 93% | no limit | 430 | 52,000 ug/L |
| La Salle | 59 | 93% | no limit | 155 | 3,820 ug/L |
| Burleson | 87 | 91% | no limit | 90 | 53,000 ug/L |
| Anderson | 96 | 91% | no limit | 166 | 17,200 ug/L |
| Chambers | 37 | 89% | no limit | 210 | 2,060 ug/L |
| Nacogdoches | 79 | 89% | no limit | 130 | 48,300 ug/L |
| Brazos | 67 | 88% | no limit | 100 | 13,000 ug/L |
- Winnsboro CCD, Wood County100% detected of 31
- Athens CCD, Henderson County100% detected of 34
- Teague CCD, Freestone County98% detected of 53
- Pleasanton CCD, Atascosa County95% detected of 37
- Poteet CCD, Atascosa County94% detected of 36
- Corrigan CCD, Polk County94% detected of 35
- Shepherd-Evergreen CCD, San Jacinto County94% detected of 35
- Cedar Creek-Red Rock CCD, Bastrop County94% detected of 34
- Livingston-Onalaska CCD, Polk County94% detected of 67
- Elkhart CCD, Anderson County93% detected of 30
- Smithville CCD, Bastrop County93% detected of 43
- Cotulla CCD, La Salle County91% detected of 43
- San Augustine CCD, San Augustine County90% detected of 48
- Northeast Brazos CCD, Brazos County89% detected of 36
- Jacksboro CCD, Jack County88% detected of 32
- Buna CCD, Jasper County81% detected of 31
- Brady CCD, McCulloch County80% detected of 41
- Anderson-Bedias CCD, Grimes County79% detected of 52
- Pearsall CCD, Frio County78% detected of 74
- Saratoga-Batson CCD, Hardin County78% detected of 68
Sources
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. iron counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.