PlainWater
States → Texas

Community Water System · PWS TX2210024

Blair WSC

Merkel, Texas 79536-0386 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 957 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

957
People served
219
EPA violations
169
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 219 drinking-water violations at Blair WSC, 77% of them health-based - above the Texas per-system average.

219
Total EPA violations on record
77%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
957
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Blair WSC

Blair WSC is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 957 residents in Merkel, Texas (Taylor County) through 319 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 219 total violations for this system , of which 169 (77%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 25 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 144 violations (MCL, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

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. Statewide, 1,068 of 1,147 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (93.1%).

Blair WSC's 219 violations sit above the Texas average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
957
Total Violations
219
Health-Based Violations
169
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
319
County
Taylor
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
169
Monitoring Violations
25
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MCL 144 2020
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 25 2019
Lead and Copper Rule MR 10 2016
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2008
Public Notice Other 4 2017
Chlorine MR 4 2017
TTHM MR 4 2022
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2002

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 Blair WSC.

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 TX2210024 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 Blair WSC 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
2022 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 2950
2020 TTHM MCL 144 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 2950
2019 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 25 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 2456
2017 Public Notice Other 4 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 7500
2017 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 0999
2016 Lead and Copper Rule MR 10 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 5000
2008 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 3100
2002 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / TX2210024 / 7000

How Blair WSC Compares

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

Metric Blair WSC Texas avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 219 101.5 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 169 22.2 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 93.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 957 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 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Blair WSC water safe to drink? ▼
Blair WSC (PWS ID: TX2210024) has 219 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 957 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Blair WSC serve? ▼
Blair WSC serves 957 people in Merkel, Texas. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 319 service connections.
What type of violations does Blair WSC have? ▼
Blair WSC has 219 total violations: 169 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 25 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Blair WSC water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Blair WSC under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Blair WSC use? ▼
Blair WSC 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.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.