Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Rusk County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
658 well testing events on record, covering
20 analytes.
Data spans 1964 to 2023.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. TX Avg
Iron
455
1938–2018
77%
33% of limit
↓ 78% below
Manganese
382
1938–2018
35%
40% of limit
↓ 38% below
Chloride
31
1970–2015
100%
5% of limit
↓ 87% below
Lead
184
1977–2018
9%
9% of limit
↓ 48% below
Arsenic
187
1977–2018
7%
10% of limit
↓ 74% below
Fluoride
603
1938–2018
91%
5% of limit
↓ 79% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
32
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Nitrate
21
1970–2015
38%
1% of limit
↓ 95% below
Nitrite
5
2015
20%
0% of limit
↓ 81% below
PFHxS
municipal
32
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFNA
municipal
32
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
32
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
32
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Radon
1
2015
100%
69% of limit
↑ 92% above
Sulfate
31
1970–2015
100%
6% of limit
↓ 80% below
Uranium
33
2010–2018
6%
0% of limit
↓ 99% below
Hardness
31
1970–2015
100%
—
↓ 96% below
PFBS
municipal
32
2023–2025
0%
—
—
pH
31
1970–2015
100%
—
~ typical
Sodium
26
1970–2015
100%
—
~ typical
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 Rusk County
Of the 187 arsenic tests on record for Rusk County (1977–2018),
93% found none.
Of the 31 chloride tests on record for Rusk County (1970–2015),
0% found none, and half were below 12 mg/L.
Of the 603 fluoride tests on record for Rusk County (1938–2018),
9% found none, and half were below 200 µg/L.
Of the 455 iron tests on record for Rusk County (1938–2018),
23% found none, and half were below 60 µg/L.
Of the 184 lead tests on record for Rusk County (1977–2018),
91% found none.
Of the 382 manganese tests on record for Rusk County (1938–2018),
65% found none.
Of the 21 nitrate tests on record for Rusk County (1970–2015),
62% found none.
Of the 31 sulfate tests on record for Rusk County (1970–2015),
0% found none, and half were below 14 mg/L.
Of the 33 uranium tests on record for Rusk County (2010–2018),
94% found none.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 455 samples
Manganese 382 samples
Chloride 31 samples
Lead 184 samples
Arsenic 187 samples
Fluoride 603 samples
Nitrate 21 samples
Sulfate 31 samples
Uranium 33 samples
Hardness 31 samples
pH 31 samples
Sodium 26 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Nitrite 5 samples
Radon 1 sample
No private-well PFAS data for Rusk County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Rusk 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 Rusk County
35Active public water systems
55,453Residents on public water
19%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Rusk 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 Rusk 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 Rusk 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 Rusk County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Rusk 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 Rusk County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Rusk 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.