Garland Water Quality

2 EPA violations on record (most recent 2025). Nitrate enters water mainly from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and animal waste. High levels can interfere with the blood's ability to carry oxygen, a special danger for infants. Long-term low-level exposure has also been linked to elevated cancer risk in some studies.

2 EPA violations on record (most recent 2025). TTHM form when chlorine used to disinfect water reacts with natural organic matter. Long-term exposure has been linked to increased cancer risk and to harm in pregnancy. Levels often rise in warmer months and in systems with more organic material.

2 EPA violations on record (most recent 2025). HAA5 are a second group of chlorine disinfection byproducts formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water. Long-term exposure is associated with increased cancer risk and possible developmental effects. They commonly occur together with trihalomethanes.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2023). Atrazine is one of the most widely used weed killers and reaches water through agricultural runoff. It is an endocrine disruptor associated with reproductive and developmental effects, and concentrations tend to spike seasonally after application. It is most common in farming regions.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2023). PFOA is a long-lived "forever chemical" once used to make nonstick and stain-resistant products. It builds up in the body over time and is associated with certain cancers, immune effects, and developmental harm. EPA finalized a strict drinking-water limit for it in 2024.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2020). Radium is a naturally radioactive element that leaches from rock into groundwater. Long-term exposure increases the risk of bone cancer and other cancers because it concentrates in bone. The federal limit covers the combined activity of radium-226 and radium-228.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2020). Beta and photon emitters are radioactive contaminants that can come from natural deposits or from nuclear activity. Long-term exposure increases cancer risk. The federal limit is expressed as an annual dose rather than a simple concentration.

Garland's water is very hard. Hardness isn't a health risk, but it drives scale on fixtures and water heaters, shortens appliance life, and leaves skin and hair dry.