Tap water in Houston is some of the worst in the country.
Compared to other US cities over 50,000, Houston tap water ranks in the very high range for contamination excluding Lead. (It also contains lead.)
Of the 49 total contaminants (2019 testing results), 14 were rated by the Environmental Working Group as “exceeding health guidelines.” (ewg.org)
In this post, we’ll look at exactly what’s in Houston tap water and how to remove it.
What’s In the Tap Water in Houston?
What follows is a list of the chemicals in Houston’s tap water. Some of these will be familiar. Some may not be.
We’ve highlighted the ones that exceed health guidelines. In the next section, we’ll break down which chemicals can be filtered out using Brita and PUR filters.
- 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
- 1,4-Dioxane
- Aluminum
- Arsenic – exceeds health guidelines
- Atrazine
- Barium
- Benzo[a]pyrene
- Bromochloroacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Bromochloromethane – exceeds health guidelines
- Bromodichloromethane
- Bromoform
- Chlorate
- Chloroform – exceeds health guidelines
- Chloromethane
- Chromium (hexavalent) – exceeds health guidelines
- Chromium (total)
- Cobalt
- Cyanide
- Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
- Dibromoacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Dibromochloromethane – exceeds health guidelines
- Dichloroacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Endrin
- Ethylbenzene
- Fluoride
- Germanium
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5) – exceeds health guidelines
- Haloacetic acids (HAA9) – exceeds health guidelines
- Hexachlorocyclopentadiene
- Hexadecanoic acid
- Manganese
- Methyl isobutyl ketone
- Metolachlor
- Molybdenum
- Monobromoacetic acid
- Monochloroacetic acid
- Nitrate
- Nitrate & nitrite
- Nitrite
- o-toluidine
- Radium, combined (-226 & -228) – exceeds health guidelines
- Selenium
- Simazine
- Strontium
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) – exceeds health guidelines
- Trichloroacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Uranium, combined (pCi/L) – exceeds health guidelines
- Vanadium
- Xylenes (total)
Should you be worried about water quality?
We think so. Access to clean water is the foundation to all life on earth.
Houston is no exception.
We believe Houstonians deserve clean water. Here’s how to make that happen sooner than later.
How to Remove Houston Water Contaminants
The good news first: we can remove 28 of the 49 contaminants in Houston water using common Brita and PUR water filters. Here’s what an activated carbon filter can remove:
- 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
- Atrazine
- Benzo[a]pyrene
- Bromochloroacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Bromochloromethane – exceeds health guidelines
- Bromodichloromethane
- Bromoform
- Chloroform – exceeds health guidelines
- Chloromethane
- Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
- Dibromoacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Dibromochloromethane – exceeds health guidelines
- Dichloroacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Endrin
- Ethylbenzene
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5) – exceeds health guidelines
- Haloacetic acids (HAA9) – exceeds health guidelines
- Hexachlorocyclopentadiene
- Hexadecanoic acid
- Methyl isobutyl ketone
- Metolachlor
- Monobromoacetic acid
- Monochloroacetic acid
- o-toluidine
- Simazine
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) – exceeds health guidelines
- Trichloroacetic acid – exceeds health guidelines
- Xylenes (total)
*Aluminum, Arsenic, Barium, Cyanide, Hexavalent chromium, Nitrate and Nitrite, Radium, Selenium, Strontium, and Uranium can only be removed with a reverse osmosis system:
**Fluoride can be removed with a Berkey Filtration System.
Houston Tap Water Also Has Lead
The highest detected level of lead concentrations in Houston water in 2019 was 48.9 ppb.
The legal limit is 15 ppb. This puts Houston’s lead levels at 3x the legal limit.
“The EPA’s recent modeling suggests that lead concentrations in the 3.8 to 15 ppb range can put a formula-fed baby at risk of elevated blood lead levels.” (ewg.org)
To Remove Lead – Use Faucet Mount Filters:
- Use a PUR faucet filter that is rated for Lead like the one linked to above.
- Use a Brita filter that is rated for Lead removal.
Faucet-mounted water filters use slightly different membranes to remove lead along with other contaminants.
Conclusion
Houston’s tap water is contaminated, but it’s fixable.
We recommend two courses of action:
- Take care of your household first by getting an inexpensive activated carbon filter.
- Contact your city government. They need to know that you care about clean water.