Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Kenedy County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
234 well testing events on record, covering
14 analytes.
Data spans 1913 to 2025.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. TX Avg
Chloride
77
1913–2013
100%
127% of limit
↑ 256% above
Sulfate
66
1913–2013
100%
120% of limit
↑ 321% above
Iron
115
1913–2021
79%
83% of limit
↓ 46% below
Arsenic
50
1992–2021
68%
56% of limit
↑ 48% above
Manganese
51
1969–2021
67%
10% of limit
↓ 85% below
Fluoride
181
1968–2021
100%
28% of limit
~ typical
Lead
50
1992–2021
2%
2% of limit
↓ 85% below
Nitrate
51
1933–2013
94%
2% of limit
↓ 89% below
Nitrite
1
2013
100%
1% of limit
↓ 32% below
Radon
1
2013
100%
100% of limit
↑ 178% above
Uranium
4
2013–2021
100%
65% of limit
↑ 320% above
Sodium
24
1933–2013
100%
—
↑ 241% above
pH
71
1933–2013
100%
—
~ typical
Hardness
77
1913–2013
100%
—
↓ 61% below
Distribution shows the share of samples in each concentration band relative to the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): Low = below half the MCL, Moderate = between half and the MCL, High = above the MCL. Analytes without an MCL (e.g. sodium, pH) show — in the limit columns. State average is based on county median values across TX.
Compare your result with Kenedy County
Of the 50 arsenic tests on record for Kenedy County (1992–2021),
32% found none, and half were below 4.2 µg/L.
Of the 77 chloride tests on record for Kenedy County (1913–2013),
0% found none, and half were below 318 mg/L.
Of the 181 fluoride tests on record for Kenedy County (1968–2021),
0% found none, and half were below 1.1 mg/L.
Of the 115 iron tests on record for Kenedy County (1913–2021),
21% found none, and half were below 160 µg/L.
Of the 50 lead tests on record for Kenedy County (1992–2021),
98% found none.
Of the 51 manganese tests on record for Kenedy County (1969–2021),
33% found none, and half were below 2.45 µg/L.
Of the 51 nitrate tests on record for Kenedy County (1933–2013),
6% found none, and half were below 230 µg/L.
Of the 66 sulfate tests on record for Kenedy County (1913–2013),
0% found none, and half were below 300 mg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Chloride 77 samples
Sulfate 66 samples
Iron 115 samples
Arsenic 50 samples
Manganese 51 samples
Fluoride 181 samples
Lead 50 samples
Nitrate 51 samples
Sodium 24 samples
pH 71 samples
Hardness 77 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Nitrite 1 sample
Radon 1 sample
Uranium 4 samples
No private-well PFAS data for Kenedy County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Kenedy County.
PFAS testing for private wells requires a dedicated lab panel (~$300–$500). If you are near a military base, airport, or industrial site, consider testing proactively. Learn more about PFAS →
Public vs. Private Water in Kenedy County
4Active public water systems
516Residents on public water
17%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Kenedy County are regulated by the EPA and must test and report contaminant levels. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing — there is no routine monitoring of private wells by any government agency.
CDC Health Outcome Correlations
Where contaminants detected in Kenedy County have established associations with specific health outcomes, we cross-reference CDC PLACES county-level prevalence data. This is a contextual signal, not a causal claim.
This report aggregates data from the following public databases:
Water Quality Portal (WQP) — groundwater sample results for Kenedy County from EPA, USGS, and state agencies. Browse WQP data →
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — public water system inventory used to estimate the share of residents on private wells. Browse SDWIS →
Census ACS 5-Year Estimates — well and cistern household counts (variable DP04_0074E) used to calculate the private-well percentage for Kenedy County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Kenedy County, which informs which contaminants are geologically likely. USGS Aquifer Atlas →
EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2025) — PFAS occurrence data from public water systems, used as a proxy indicator for aquifer PFAS exposure. Rows marked "municipal" in the table above come from this source. About UCMR 5 →
EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) — industrial facility chemical releases near Kenedy County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Kenedy County, used in contamination risk scoring. Superfund site search →
CDC PLACES — county-level health outcome prevalence (kidney disease, cancer, heart disease) correlated with detected contaminants. About CDC PLACES →
Methodology
Raw records are downloaded from the Water Quality Portal and normalized to µg/L (ppb). Records are deduplicated by sample ID and date, and certified outliers are excluded. Analyte names are mapped to EPA canonical forms. Detection rates, distribution bands, and MCL comparisons are computed from the normalized dataset.
Distribution bands use the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level as the threshold: concentrations below 50% of the MCL are classed as Low, between 50% and 100% as Moderate, and above 100% as High. For analytes without an MCL (sodium, hardness, pH), distribution is not computed.
State comparison uses the median of county median values across all counties in TX with at least one sample for that analyte.