Public water system · TX2140018
ActiveCity of Rio Grande City
At a glance
City of Rio Grande City (PWSID TX2140018) is an active community water system in Starr County, Texas. It reports serving 18,912 people through 7,337 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
18,912
Service connections
7,337
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Rio Grande City compare with other water systems in Starr County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Rio Grande City is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Starr County has 11 active public water systems, and City of Rio Grande City is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 198% above the county average of 6,339 people per system, and accounts for 27% of the 69,731 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 City of Rio Grande City is about 182% above 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 City of Rio Grande City?
EPA lists City of Rio Grande City 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. 9 of the 11 active systems in Starr County (82%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Rio Grande City have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2020 and July 2025. By type: 7 monitoring and reporting, 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 2 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (3 of them). EPA lists 6 as archived, 5 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. 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. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2023-07-01 | Required treatment not metSingle Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 43 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2020-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Picloramcode 2040 | No | Archived |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4-Dcode 2105 | No | Archived |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dalaponcode 2031 | No | Archived |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Ethylene dibromide (EDB)code 2946 | No | Archived |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4,5-TP (Silvex)code 2110 | No | Archived |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dinosebcode 2041 | No | Archived |
The 12 most recent 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.
City of Rio Grande City: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Rio Grande City?
City of Rio Grande City (PWSID TX2140018) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the TX state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Rio Grande City serve?
City of Rio Grande City reports serving 18,912 people through 7,337 service connections in Starr County, Texas.
Where does City of Rio Grande City 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 City of Rio Grande City have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. 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 City of Rio Grande City'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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the TX state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Rio Grande City's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Rio Grande City 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 Starr County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Roma | Starr | 19,464 | Community | Surface water |
| City of La Grulla | Starr | 9,500 | Community | Surface water |
| Rio WSC | Starr | 6,939 | Community | Surface water |
| Union WSC | Starr | 5,793 | Community | Surface water |
| Falcon Rural WSC | Starr | 3,600 | Community | Surface water |
| El Tanque WSC | Starr | 3,000 | Community | Purchased 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, “City of Rio Grande City, PWSID TX2140018, Texas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/texas/city-of-rio-grande-city-tx2140018 (data as of October 1, 2026).