Data & Methodology — Wharton County

Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Wharton County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

544 well testing events on record, covering 18 analytes. Data spans 1967 to 2022.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. TX Avg
Iron 320 1934–2021 47%
33% of limit ↓ 78% below
Manganese 219 1939–2021 30%
40% of limit ↓ 38% below
Chloride 72 1974 100%
31% of limit ~ typical
Arsenic 144 1977–2021 40%
30% of limit ↓ 21% below
Fluoride 490 1937–2021 98%
8% of limit ↓ 69% below
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 13 2024–2025 0%
— —
Lead 136 1983–2021 14%
10% of limit ↓ 40% below
Nitrate 33 1973–2006 94%
3% of limit ↓ 85% below
PFHxS municipal 13 2024–2025 0%
— —
PFNA municipal 13 2024–2025 0%
— —
PFOA municipal 13 2024–2025 0%
— —
PFOS municipal 13 2024–2025 0%
— —
Sulfate 72 1974 100%
6% of limit ↓ 78% below
Uranium 47 2006–2021 72%
6% of limit ↓ 63% below
Sodium 32 1974 100%
— ↓ 50% below
pH 72 1974 100%
— ~ typical
PFBS municipal 13 2024–2025 0%
— —
Hardness 72 1974 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 Wharton County

Of the 144 arsenic tests on record for Wharton County (1977–2021), 60% found none.

Of the 72 chloride tests on record for Wharton County (1974), 0% found none, and half were below 78 mg/L.

Of the 490 fluoride tests on record for Wharton County (1937–2021), 2% found none, and half were below 300 µg/L.

Of the 320 iron tests on record for Wharton County (1934–2021), 53% found none.

Of the 136 lead tests on record for Wharton County (1983–2021), 86% found none.

Of the 219 manganese tests on record for Wharton County (1939–2021), 70% found none.

Of the 33 nitrate tests on record for Wharton County (1973–2006), 6% found none, and half were below 330 µg/L.

Of the 72 sulfate tests on record for Wharton County (1974), 0% found none, and half were below 16 mg/L.

Of the 47 uranium tests on record for Wharton County (2006–2021), 28% found none, and half were below 1.5 µg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Iron 320 samples
  • Manganese 219 samples
  • Chloride 72 samples
  • Arsenic 144 samples
  • Fluoride 490 samples
  • Lead 136 samples
  • Nitrate 33 samples
  • Sulfate 72 samples
  • Uranium 47 samples
  • Sodium 32 samples
  • pH 72 samples
  • Hardness 72 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Wharton County

We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Wharton 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 Wharton County

31 Active public water systems
29,517 Residents on public water
30% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Wharton 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 Wharton 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.

Contaminant Associated Condition Wharton County Prevalence TX Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 6.6% 6.1% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 3.8% 3.3% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Wharton County CDC PLACES data →

Data Sources

This report aggregates data from the following public databases:

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.

Last updated: 2026-08-04

Full methodology →