Lab news · TX · Updated September 24, 2026
Texas well-lab news
Direct answer
Dated notes from agency pages for texas well owners. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well. Bacteria or nitrate on a lab sheet still goes to the health department.
| What to test | Why | EPA MCL / SMCL or guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Total coliform | CDC’s annual floor for a private well. A present result is a pathway warning, not a shopping trip. | Present/absent — any detected coliform is a positive until a clean retest CDC well-testing guidelines |
| Nitrate as N | Same yearly panel as coliform. A result at or above the public-system line goes to the health department. | 10 mg/L as N (EPA public-system MCL) EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations |
| pH | CDC annual floor. Low pH is a corrosion clue, not an iron-filter job. | 6.5–8.5 SMCL (aesthetic guideline) EPA secondary standards |
| Total dissolved solids | CDC annual floor with coliform, nitrate, and pH. | 500 mg/L SMCL (aesthetic guideline) EPA secondary standards |
Dated notes from EPA, TCEQ, and the Texas Water Development Board. Not headlines. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well.
Dated notes from agency pages, not invented headlines. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well unless the item is about a private-well statute. Bacteria or nitrate on a lab sheet still goes to the health department. This site is not medical advice.
18 May 2026
FederalEPA proposed keeping the PFOA and PFOS maximum contaminant levels at 4.0 ppt for public water systems, and letting requesting systems take until April 26, 2031 instead of April 26, 2029. The comment period closed July 20, 2026. EPA last updated that page July 23, 2026.
This is a proposal, not a final rule. It does not require a private-well owner to test or treat. Public-system MCLs do not bind a kitchen tap on a private well.
18 May 2026
FederalIn the same window, EPA separately proposed rescinding MCLs for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and the Hazard Index mixture. That page was live when this note was written and is linked from the extension-rule page.
That action is still a proposal. Do not read it as those limits being gone. A private-well owner is not under that public-system rule either way.
24 September 2026
TexasTCEQ’s “How is my Drinking Water Quality?” page states that a private-well owner is responsible for regularly testing well water used for drinking and cooking, points to CDC and EPA private-well testing guidance, and recommends using an accredited drinking-water laboratory. The same page is the public-system Consumer Confidence Report / Drinking Water Viewer path — that is not a private-well report.
Nobody mails a CCR to a kitchen tap on a private well. Use TCEQ’s NELAP accredited-lab search, then call about a homeowner bottle. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to the local health department.
24 September 2026
TexasThe Texas Water Development Board’s “Sampling a Private Water Well” page states that the State of Texas does not regulate the water quality of private water wells and that the well owner is responsible for addressing water-quality problems. TWDB points owners at TCEQ’s NELAP-accredited drinking-water public-laboratory map and table, and notes that some groundwater conservation districts test for free or at reduced cost.
There is no statewide private-well testing mandate for a sale. A GCD screen is not a TCEQ-accredited drinking-water certificate unless the district says so. Confirm fields in TCEQ’s search before you treat a number as a specification.
18 September 2026
TexasTCEQ’s Laboratory Accreditation Program posted a 18 September 2026 update on the NELAP page: assessors will verify that laboratories performing non-potable-water methods use procedures approved by 40 CFR 136, and non-compliance will be cited in assessment reports. The note is about wastewater / NPW methods, not a private-well drinking-water rule.
Read the certificate’s matrix. A current NPW field is not a drinking-water coliform field. Private-well bottles still need a drinking-water accreditation for the analyte on the order form.
Contaminant and parent pages
Related
See also the Texas lab inventory, certified labs by state, and the homepage.