Denton County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead

Denton County, Texas has about 1,045,120 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 82 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is City of Denton, serving about 150,037 people from surface water.

✓ 0 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 6 of 6 sampled systemsHardness 6.9 gpg (low confidence)

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

How hard is Denton County water?

City of Denton Estimate: untreated local water, not your tap · Low confidence

6.9 gpg (118 mg/L), moderately hard

Denton County: median of 3,960 results from 43 monitoring sites (streams and wells). Utilities may blend or treat water, so your tap can differ.

Source: Hard Water Map county data, samples through 2023

County estimates: Hard Water Map (hardwatermap.com), CC BY 4.0, derived from the USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal; file generated 2026-07-22. License

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Softener size at 6.9 gpg

For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 8,259 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain. This uses a low-confidence county estimate, so confirm with a test first.

Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Open the softener calculator with 6.9 gpg

Largest water systems in Denton County

The 6 biggest of 82 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.

City of Denton

TX0610002 · serves about 150,037 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (4 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 1.5 ppb (period starting 2024-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 8.9 ppt (7 of 8 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 5.8 ppt (4 of 8 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 5.7 ppt (4 of 8 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 4.7 ppt (3 of 8 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit

EPA ECHO record

City of Lewisville

TX0610004 · serves about 140,880 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (4 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 1.5 ppb (period starting 2026-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 7.8 ppt (8 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 4.6 ppt (11 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 4.5 ppt (11 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 3.2 ppt (1 of 12 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit

EPA ECHO record

Mustang SUD

TX0610036 · serves about 127,911 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (3 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 1.3 ppb (period starting 2025-07-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 6.4 ppt (1 of 20 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 4 ppt (1 of 20 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 3.7 ppt (1 of 20 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Town of Flower Mound

TX0610023 · serves about 80,000 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (6 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 1.6 ppb (period starting 2025-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFHxA: highest sample 12.9 ppt (11 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 11.6 ppt (12 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBA: highest sample 11.5 ppt (11 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 5.3 ppt (11 of 12 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit
  • PFOA: highest sample 4.4 ppt (1 of 12 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFHpA: highest sample 3.1 ppt (1 of 12 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

City of the Colony

TX0610081 · serves about 45,367 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (4 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 0.6 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 8.7 ppt (8 of 14 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 7.6 ppt (8 of 14 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 7.5 ppt (7 of 14 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 4.1 ppt (7 of 14 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit

EPA ECHO record

Town of Little Elm

TX0610035 · serves about 43,348 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (4 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 2.2 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 7.5 ppt (4 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 4.9 ppt (4 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 4.4 ppt (4 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 3.7 ppt (2 of 4 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit

EPA ECHO record

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

A PFAS detection is not a violation. Federal limits (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS) apply to running annual averages, with compliance required by 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed extending the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and removing other PFAS limits; not final as of 2026-10-21.

Test your own tap

These are public records for whole systems. Your home's pipes, fixtures and any private well can change what you drink. A certified lab test or a hardness test strip gives you your own numbers. Then use our PFAS and lead filter selector to see which certifications to look for.

Common questions about Denton County water

Is tap water in Denton County safe to drink?

None of the 6 largest systems here have a health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021. City of Denton's most recent lead 90th percentile was 1.5 ppb (2024), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.

How hard is the water in Denton County?

There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Denton County have a median of about 6.9 grains per gallon (118 mg/L, moderately hard). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 6.9 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Is there PFAS in Denton County water?

6 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, and one result was above the level of a federal limit in at least one sample. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.

Which water system serves my address in Denton County?

Most homes are served by City of Denton or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.

More Texas counties

Sources for this page

Data as of October 21, 2026. Figures are copied from public records and combined with our own calculations; they can be out of date or wrong. Tapped Out isn't affiliated with any utility or the EPA. Written and reviewed by the Tapped Out team. How we calculate · All sources.