Ut Mcdonald Observatory, TX
Exceeded the action level in the past
Latest 90th-percentile lead: reported as 0 (not detected) (monitoring period 2024-2026). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. The latest result is under the action level, but this system has gone over 15 ppb before. Lead comes from pipes, not the source water, so a home with a lead service line can still be exposed. Test your own tap.
About Ut Mcdonald Observatory
Ut Mcdonald Observatory serves about 163 people through 42 service connections, which makes it a very small system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by the state and draws groundwater, in Jeff Davis County, Texas. EPA system ID: TX1220003; phone on file: 512-471-3511. Ask them for your address in their service line inventory - every system had to publish one by Oct 2024.
Every lead result on file
Against the period ending 2023 (0 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Ut Mcdonald Observatory is 19.3 ppb across 4 monitoring periods, 1 of them over the 15 ppb action level.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2023 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2022 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2022 | 19.3 ppb over 15 |
How Ut Mcdonald Observatory compares
Of the 4,447 Texas systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0.28 ppb; 15 are over 15 ppb right now and 202 have gone over at some point. Ut Mcdonald Observatory's reported as 0 (not detected) sits at the 9th percentile in Texas and the 14th nationally (higher means more lead). Systems reporting 0 tie at the bottom, so the rank mostly reflects size among them.
Neighbouring systems
3 other systems share Jeff Davis County; 2 of them have a higher latest lead result than Ut Mcdonald Observatory. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Davis Wsc | 986 | 1.27 ppb |
| City Of Valentine | 190 | 0 (not detected) |
| Fort Davis Estates | 100 | 1.76 ppb |
Next steps for Austin, TX
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Austin, TX may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Ut Mcdonald Observatory whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. More in what a past exceedance means today.