Is DFW Area’s Tap Water Safe to Drink? Investigating Lead Contamination and Potential Risks

According to the 2023 Water Quality Report from DWU, the 90th percentile value for lead was 0 parts per billion (ppb), which is well below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action level of 15 ppb. This indicates that, in general, the city’s water supply meets federal safety standards regarding lead content.

While the water may not have detectable lead levels, your service lines may. Many Dallas residents received letters in October of 2024 informing residents of service lines containing lead. So, while the water may not contain lead when it leaves your water utility, on it’s way into your home it can become contaminated with lead. 

Lead contamination in drinking water is a serious public health concern, especially for vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women. While Dallas Water Utilities reports that the city’s water supply meets federal standards, lead can still enter your tap water through aging service lines, galvanized pipes, or fixtures made from toxic metal alloys.

Lead can contaminate drinking water in Dallas homes and lead to affecting your health. What are Dallas water providers and local water facilities doing about it? How can you protect your home and health? Let’s find out!

Lead typically enters drinking water through corrosion in outdated plumbing systems. Homes built before 1986 are at higher risk, often containing galvanized iron pipes, lead solder, or brass fixtures. Despite the city water treatment process meeting regulatory standards, private property plumbing can remain a major source of exposure to contaminants.

Dallas neighborhoods such as Oak Cliff, Lakewood, and South Dallas—where older infrastructure is common—are more susceptible to this problem. In 2024, Dallas Water Utilities began notifying property owners about unknown material in their service lines, a common source of lead contamination.

Lead isn’t typically found in Dallas’s surface water sources, like Lake Ray Hubbard, Lake Grapevine, and Lake Lewisville. However, it can enter your tap water through corrosion in plumbing—especially galvanized pipes or lead-lined components.

Common entry points for lead include:

Even water that leaves treatment plants clean can become contaminated by the time it reaches your tap, particularly if it has been sitting for hours in old pipes.

Dallas Water Sources and Quality

Dallas Water Utilities treats and distributes more than 136 billion gallons of city water each year from surface water reservoirs like Lake Ray Hubbard, Lake Tawakoni, and Lake Grapevine. Despite their best efforts, private plumbing systems and older infrastructure often fall outside public control.

While regular testing ensures compliance with federal guidelines, the Tap Water Database and independent testing agencies like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have raised alarms about drinking water contaminants such as:

These contaminants, when combined with aging infrastructure, pose a health risk for long-term exposure—especially in areas near industrial sites, gas stations, and older residential zones.

In late 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $198.5 million to Texas through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for lead service line replacement.

Dallas is among the public water systems working to meet new Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) that:

These federal government actions reflect growing concern over lead’s role in kidney damage, neurological damage, and irreversible harm to human health.

One of the major health concerns associated with lead exposure is its impact on the nervous system. Lead can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities in children, leading to long-term cognitive impairments. Additionally, it can affect the cardiovascular system, leading to increased blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease.

Lead exposure is particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can cross the placenta and harm the developing fetus. It can result in premature birth, low birth weight, and developmental issues in newborns.

For children, the effects of consuming lead-contaminated water are especially high. Once consumed, lead remains in our bodies or ‘bioaccumulates’, as we can’t flush the contaminant from our system. Once there, lead can cause serious behavioral and cognitive problems for children, and over time it can lead to:

Furthermore, lead can accumulate in the body over time, causing chronic health problems. It can damage the kidneys, impair the reproductive system, and even lead to cancer.

To address these health concerns, it is crucial for the residents of DFW Area to be aware of the potential lead contamination in their water supply. Regular testing of water sources, especially in older homes, is essential to identify and mitigate lead exposure risks.

Lead also crosses the placenta, so it’s especially important for pregnant women to avoid drinking water contaminated with lead. In addition to harming the mother, it can cause stunted fetal growth and premature birth.

For the average adult, lead exposure from water can cause heart and cardiovascular issues, reduce kidney function, and contribute to reproductive problems.

The degree and severity of these issues depends on how much lead you’ve been exposed to, and how much is stored in your body, though governing health authorities like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) caution that no amount of lead is safe.

Until your home’s plumbing is upgraded, here are EPA-recommended steps to improve your drinking water safety:

Is Dallas tap water safe to drink?
It meets federal standards, but older private property plumbing may still contain lead.

How do I know if my home has lead pipes?
Check near your water meter or contact Dallas Water Utilities for assistance. Pipes made of dull, soft, non-magnetic material are likely to be lead.

What is the best filter for lead in Dallas?
Culligan’s reverse osmosis systems are among the most effective solutions.

Are there other contaminants in Dallas water?
Yes—disinfection byproducts, nitrates, and perfluorinated chemicals have been found in Dallas’s public water supply line.

Even if your home isn’t in an officially high-risk zip code, exposure to contaminants in unfiltered tap water is still possible—especially from outdated pipes and fixtures.

Dallas residents can take control of their drinking water quality by installing trusted house water filtration systems from Culligan of Dallas. With proper filter maintenance, corrosion control, and independent testing, you can protect your home from harmful contaminants and ensure safe, clean drinking water.

The Flint Crisis was a situation where the water was improperly treated – specifically, a severe act of negligence on the part of public officials failing to add corrosion inhibitors to the water. Given the heightened sense of awareness and knowledge of the issue, another such problem is likely not in the realm of possibility.

However, that doesn’t mean all water in your home is safe. Even treated water can leach lead into its supply if your pipes or fixtures are made of lead.

The final tally on the Flint Water Crisis, which included e.coli bacteria, THMs, lead, and a Legionnaire’s disease outbreak, resulted in 6,000 to 12,000 children exposed to lead and a slew of lawsuits, investigations, resignations and criminal indictments.