Public water system · TX0310001
ActiveBrownsville Public Utilities Board
At a glance
Brownsville Public Utilities Board (PWSID TX0310001) is an active community water system in Cameron County, Texas. It reports serving 201,249 people through 62,849 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2008.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
201,249
Service connections
62,849
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Brownsville Public Utilities Board compare with other water systems in Cameron County?
By EPA's size categories, Brownsville Public Utilities Board is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Cameron County has 30 active public water systems, and Brownsville Public Utilities Board is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 14 times the county average of 14,775 people per system, and accounts for 45% of the 443,241 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Texas, the 7,078 active systems average 4,789 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Brownsville Public Utilities Board is about 30 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Texas has 4,594 active community water systems, 65% of the state's 7,078 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 328 Texas systems (4.6%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Brownsville Public Utilities Board?
EPA lists Brownsville Public Utilities Board as owned by a local 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. 21 of the 30 active systems in Cameron County (70%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Brownsville Public Utilities Board have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2008. The violations listed here began between October 1993 and December 2008. By type: 2 monitoring and reporting, 1 required treatment not met and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 2 as resolved and 2 as archived. 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. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-12-01 | Required treatment not metSingle Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 43 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Archived |
| 1993-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Archived |
All 4 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.
Brownsville Public Utilities Board: frequently asked questions
Who runs Brownsville Public Utilities Board?
Brownsville Public Utilities Board (PWSID TX0310001) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the TX state drinking water program.
How many people does Brownsville Public Utilities Board serve?
Brownsville Public Utilities Board reports serving 201,249 people through 62,849 service connections in Cameron County, Texas.
Where does Brownsville Public Utilities Board get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does Brownsville Public Utilities Board have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2008. 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 Brownsville Public Utilities Board's 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 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2008. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the TX state drinking water program.
Where can I find Brownsville Public Utilities Board's water quality report?
As a community water system, Brownsville Public Utilities Board must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Cameron County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen Water Works System | Cameron | 85,900 | Community | Surface water |
| Laguna Madre Water District | Cameron | 46,674 | Community | Surface water |
| East Rio Hondo WSC | Cameron | 24,756 | Community | Surface water |
| City of San Benito | Cameron | 24,250 | Community | Surface water |
| El Jardin WSC | Cameron | 9,423 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Olmito WSC | Cameron | 8,952 | Community | Surface water |
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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, “Brownsville Public Utilities Board, PWSID TX0310001, Texas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/texas/brownsville-public-utilities-board-tx0310001 (data as of October 1, 2026).