CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS

Q: Is CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS water safe to drink?

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS (PWS ID: TX0140023) has 27 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 3 PFAS compounds found. This system serves 34,834 people using Surface Water sources.

Q: What type of violations does CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS have?

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS has 27 total violations: 8 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 11 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Q: Has PFAS been detected in CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS water?

Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 3 PFAS compounds in CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS's water supply: PFBA, PFHxS, PFBS. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.

Q: What water source does CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS use?

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.

Q: Where does this data come from?

All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Reviewed byPlainWater Editorial, Drinking Water Quality Editorial Team · June 4, 2026

PWS ID: TX0140023 · HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas 76548-5666

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS serves 34,834 people in HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas using Surface Water water sources. It has 27 recorded EPA violations, including 8 health-based violations. PFAS "forever chemicals" were detected in UCMR5 testing (3 compounds found).

Water Quality Snapshot: CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 34,834 residents in HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas (Bell County) through 11,665 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 27 total violations for this system , of which 8 (30%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 11 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2017.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 7 violations (MR). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 3 PFAS compounds were detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 0.008 ppt. PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

Across Texas, EPA tracks 7,351 public water systems serving 33,253,313 people, with 746,210 cumulative violations and 162,945 health-based violations on record. About 90% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 101.5 violations. CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS's 27 violations sit below the Texas average. Statewide, 1,068 of 1,147 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (93.1%). All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

PFAS Detected

3 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

Population Served

34,834

Total Violations

Health-Based Violations

Water Source

Surface Water

System Details

System Type: Community
Owner Type: Local
Connections: 11,665
County: Bell
School/Daycare: No
MCL Violations: 8
Monitoring Violations: 11
Treatment Tech Violations: 0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant	Category	Count	Latest
Coliform (TCR)	MR	7	2007
Coliform (TCR)	MCL	5	1993
Revised Total Coliform Rule	MON	4	2017
TTHM	MCL	3	1993
Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	2	2003
Public Notice	Other	1	2008
Coliform (TCR)	Other	1	1993

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 7 of 120 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant	Date	Result	MRL	Status
11Cl-PF3OUdS	9/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS	9/20/2023	<0.002 µg/L	0.002 µg/L	Not Detected
PFUnA	9/20/2023	<0.002 µg/L	0.002 µg/L	Not Detected
HFPO-DA	9/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
ADONA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHxA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFDoA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFDA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFBA	9/20/2023	0.0054 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Detected
PFOS	9/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFEESA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFNA	9/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHxS	9/20/2023	0.0032 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Detected
PFOA	9/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
6:2 FTS	9/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
4:2 FTS	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
8:2 FTS	9/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMPA	9/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMBA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
NFDHA	9/20/2023	<0.02 µg/L	0.02 µg/L	Not Detected
PFPeS	9/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHpS	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFTrDA	9/20/2023	<0.007 µg/L	0.007 µg/L	Not Detected
NEtFOSAA	9/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFTA	9/20/2023	<0.008 µg/L	0.008 µg/L	Not Detected
PFBS	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
lithium	9/20/2023	<9 µg/L	9 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHpA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFPeA	9/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
NMeFOSAA	9/20/2023	<0.006 µg/L	0.006 µg/L	Not Detected
NMeFOSAA	6/20/2023	<0.006 µg/L	0.006 µg/L	Not Detected
PFTA	6/20/2023	<0.008 µg/L	0.008 µg/L	Not Detected
NEtFOSAA	6/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
lithium	6/20/2023	<9 µg/L	9 µg/L	Not Detected
PFDA	6/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFTrDA	6/20/2023	<0.007 µg/L	0.007 µg/L	Not Detected
PFEESA	6/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHpS	6/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFOS	6/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
NFDHA	6/20/2023	<0.02 µg/L	0.02 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMBA	6/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFPeA	6/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMPA	6/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
8:2 FTS	6/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
4:2 FTS	6/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
6:2 FTS	6/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFBA	6/20/2023	0.0066 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Detected
HFPO-DA	6/20/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
ADONA	6/20/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFNA	6/20/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records — or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status — go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS — Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID TX0140023 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Texas Drinking Water Authority

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) — Drinking Water Watch is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS under EPA-delegated authority.

Open TX regulator portal

Source: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) — Drinking Water Watch

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest)	Contaminant	Category	Count	EPA Record
2017	Revised Total Coliform Rule	MON	4	SDWIS / TX0140023 / 8000
2008	Public Notice	Other	1	SDWIS / TX0140023 / 7500
2007	Coliform (TCR)	MR	7	SDWIS / TX0140023 / 3100
2003	Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	2	SDWIS / TX0140023 / 7000
1993	Coliform (TCR)	MCL	5	SDWIS / TX0140023 / 3100
1993	TTHM	MCL	3	SDWIS / TX0140023 / 2950
1993	Coliform (TCR)	Other	1	SDWIS / TX0140023 / 3100

How CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric	CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS	Texas avg	Federal benchmark
Total violations	27	101.5	SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations	8	22.2	Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection	3 compounds	93.1%	EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served	34,834	4,524	Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 7,351 regulated public water systems in Texas.

Federal MCL reference — Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼

Contaminant	Federal MCL / Action Level	Note
Lead	0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L)	Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic	0.010 mg/L (10 ppb)	Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform	Treatment technique (RTCR)	Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS)	4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule)	Compliance deadline 2029
Nitrate (as N)	10 mg/L	Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS water safe to drink? ▼

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS (PWS ID: TX0140023) has 27 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 3 PFAS compounds found. This system serves 34,834 people using Surface Water sources.

How many people does CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS serve? ▼

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS serves 34,834 people in HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 11,665 service connections.

What type of violations does CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS have? ▼

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS has 27 total violations: 8 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 11 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Has PFAS been detected in CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS water? ▼

Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 3 PFAS compounds in CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS's water supply: PFBA, PFHxS, PFBS. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.

What water source does CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS use? ▼

CITY OF HARKER HEIGHTS uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.

Where does this data come from? ▼

All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

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Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). This data is provided for informational purposes only.

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Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by Kiznis Studio Editorial