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Not health advice. Contact your local water utility for concerns.
Data from EPA Water Quality Reports. For official information, contact your water utility or health department.
Side-by-side EPA records for the two public water systems · EPA SDWIS/ECHO 2026Q2 · UCMR5 (2023–2026, July 2026 release) · SYR4 six-year review 2012–2019 · methodology
Houston has the better EPA record — grade C (75/100) vs grade F (58/100).
CITY OF HOUSTON · serves 2,970,543
NEW ORLEANS CARROLLTON WATER WORKS · serves 334,903
| Metric | Houston | New Orleans |
|---|---|---|
| Grade / score | C · 75/100 | F · 58/100 |
| Health-based EPA violations, last 5 yrs | 1 | 1 |
| Health-based violations unresolved | 0 | 0 |
| Monitoring / reporting violations, last 5 yrs | 0 | 3 |
| Lead 90th percentile (action level 15 ppb) | 5 ppb (2024–2024) | 6 ppb (2023–2025) |
| PFAS detected (UCMR5 2023–2026) | 6:2 FTS, PFBA, PFHxA, PFPeA | HFPO-DA, PFBA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA — PFOA/PFOS ≥ 4 ppt |
| Primary water source | Surface water | Surface water |
| Population served | 2,970,543 | 334,903 |
| EPA PWSID | TX1010013 | LA1071009 |
Green = the better value where the two systems differ. Lead and PFAS figures describe water leaving the plant, not any individual tap.
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Houston — it scores 75/100 (grade C) against 58/100 (grade F) on EPA records. Houston reports the lower lead 90th-percentile result (5 vs 6 ppb)
Houston grades C (75/100): 1 health-based EPA violation in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 5 ppb, PFAS detected (6:2 FTS, PFBA, PFHxA, PFPeA).
New Orleans grades F (58/100): 1 health-based EPA violation in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 6 ppb, PFAS detected (HFPO-DA, PFBA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA).