Brownsville
Brownsville, TX water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
brownsville public utilities board
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID TX0310001
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Brownsville is a mid-sized city and the 16th-largest in Texas, home to roughly 183,887 residents. Brownsville's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Texas: reservoirs, Ogallala aquifer, Edwards aquifer, and Rio Grande.
As elsewhere in Texas, the central challenge is drought. Big Spring and Wichita Falls pioneered direct potable reuse in the U.S., and explosive growth plus recurring drought keep Texas at the center of reuse innovation.
Texas reuses an estimated 16% of its treated wastewater and maintains established reuse programs; Brownsville tracks moderate to severe drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Texas profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Brownsville below.
Cameron County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~183,887 (16th-largest in Texas)
- Primary sources: reservoirs, Ogallala aquifer, Edwards aquifer, and Rio Grande
- Drought: moderate to severe conditions
- State reuse rate: ~16% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Texas in severe+ drought (Severe (D2) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Brownsville?
Brownsville's largest water system, BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD, serves about 201,249 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 0 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Brownsville get its water?
BROWNSVILLE PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Texas's supply from reservoirs, Ogallala aquifer, Edwards aquifer.
Related water issues
Drought
Much of the American West is in a multi-decade dry period that researchers describe as the most severe in over a millennium, reshaping how communities plan for water.
ExploreGroundwater Depletion
Aquifers from the Central Valley to the Ogallala are being pumped faster than they recharge, causing land subsidence and threatening long-term supply.
ExplorePotable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
ExploreAgricultural Demand
Agriculture accounts for the majority of consumptive water use in the West, making farm efficiency and water markets central to any supply solution.
Explore