Public water system · TX0310006
ActiveCity of Rio Hondo
At a glance
City of Rio Hondo (PWSID TX0310006) is an active community water system in Cameron County, Texas. It reports serving 2,640 people through 824 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 October 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
2,640
Service connections
824
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Rio Hondo compare with other water systems in Cameron County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Rio Hondo is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Cameron County has 30 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 14,775 people per system, and accounts for 0.6% 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 City of Rio Hondo is about 61% below 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 Hondo?
EPA lists City of Rio Hondo 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 City of Rio Hondo have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2025 and October 2025. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 4 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 2 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (5 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Carbon, totalcode 2920 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-05-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-03-03 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-02-14 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-01-01 | Required treatment not metSingle Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 43 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorine dioxidecode 1008 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-01-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
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 Hondo: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Rio Hondo?
City of Rio Hondo (PWSID TX0310006) 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 Hondo serve?
City of Rio Hondo reports serving 2,640 people through 824 service connections in Cameron County, Texas.
Where does City of Rio Hondo 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 Hondo 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 October 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 Hondo'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 October 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 Hondo's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Rio Hondo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville Public Utilities Board | Cameron | 201,249 | Community | Surface water |
| 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 |
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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 Hondo, PWSID TX0310006, Texas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/texas/city-of-rio-hondo-tx0310006 (data as of October 1, 2026).