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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Hays County Water Quality: 4 Cities Ranked by the Records

Hays County, Texas: 4 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Find my systemOpen on the mapPrivate wells in Hays County
Across the county's systems

Highest result for each contaminant

One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.

LithiumDetected in 4 systems10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest51.4 µg/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 4 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.4 ng/L
  • CITY OF SAN MARCOS3.4 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-14 to 2024-08-15
  • CITY OF BUDANot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-17 to 2024-08-16
  • CITY OF KYLENot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-08-25 to 2024-05-20
  • DRIPPING SPRINGS WSCNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-05-17 to 2023-11-14
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 4 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest1.91 µg/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 4 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest3.1 ng/L
  • CITY OF KYLE3.1 ng/LSample date: 2023-08-25 to 2024-05-20
  • CITY OF BUDANot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-17 to 2024-08-16
  • CITY OF SAN MARCOSNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-14 to 2024-08-15
  • DRIPPING SPRINGS WSCNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-05-17 to 2023-11-14
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 3 systems of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest19.4 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 3 systems of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest4.5 ng/L
25 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 4 systems: CITY OF BUDA, CITY OF KYLE, CITY OF SAN MARCOS, DRIPPING SPRINGS WSC

  • 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
  • 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
  • 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
  • Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
  • N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
  • N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
  • Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
  • Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
  • Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
  • Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
  • Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
  • Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
4 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 4 of 4 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.

PFAS in Hays CountyPFAS detected in 3 of 4 cities; none had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Texas
Lead

0of 4 cities above the 15 µg/L action level

Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.

Lead in Texas
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. San MarcosCITY OF SAN MARCOS · TX1050001
    72,970 served
  2. KyleCITY OF KYLE · TX1050002
    52,000 served
  3. BudaCITY OF BUDA · TX1050012
    13,830 served
  4. Dripping SpringsDRIPPING SPRINGS WSC · TX1050013
    8,037 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Hays County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 4 cities in Hays County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Kyle's main water system: CITY OF KYLE · PWSID TX1050002 · Purity Score 98 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Hays County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

None of the 4 Hays County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. PFAS were detected below the limit in 3.

Is there lead in Hays County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 4 of 4 Hays County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

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