Public water system · TX0220022
ActiveBig Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws
At a glance
Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws (PWSID TX0220022) is an active transient non-community water system in Brewster County, Texas. It reports serving 81 people through 29 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater under influence of surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by the federal government. EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
81
Service connections
29
Primary source
GU
Groundwater under influence of surface water
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws compare with other water systems in Brewster County?
By EPA's size categories, Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Brewster County has 14 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 645 people per system, and accounts for 0.9% of the 9,031 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Texas, the 7,078 active systems average 4,789 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws is about 44% below that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Texas has 1,622 active transient non-community water systems, 23% of the state's 7,078 active systems. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules. 37 Texas systems (0.5%) list groundwater under influence of surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws?
EPA lists Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws as owned by the federal government. The TX state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 5 of the 14 active systems in Brewster County (36%) are also owned by the federal government.
Does Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019. The violations listed here began between November 2009 and January 2019. By type: 3 monitoring and reporting, 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Public Notice (2 of them). EPA lists 6 as resolved. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-01-22 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-04-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-03-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
All 6 violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws: frequently asked questions
Who runs Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws?
Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws (PWSID TX0220022) is a transient non-community water system owned by the federal government. It is regulated by the TX state drinking water program.
How many people does Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws serve?
Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws reports serving 81 people through 29 service connections in Brewster County, Texas.
Where does Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater under influence of surface water. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules.
Does Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws' water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the TX state drinking water program.
Where can I find Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws' water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Brewster County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Alpine | Brewster | 6,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Lajitas on the Rio Grande | Brewster | 942 | Community | Groundwater |
| Study Butte Terlingua Water System | Brewster | 888 | Community | Groundwater |
| Marathon Water Supply & Sewer Service | Brewster | 430 | Community | Groundwater |
| Panther Junction Plt | Brewster | 300 | Community | Groundwater |
| Longhorn Ranch Motel | Brewster | 100 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Big Bend National Park Chisos Basin Ws, PWSID TX0220022, Texas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/texas/big-bend-national-park-chisos-basin-ws-tx0220022 (data as of October 1, 2026).