Wichita Falls
During a brutal 2010s drought, Wichita Falls became one of the first U.S. cities to run direct potable reuse — piping treated wastewater straight back to the drinking-water plant.
city of wichita falls
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID TX2430001
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Facing reservoirs that fell below 25 percent during the 2011–2015 Texas drought, Wichita Falls did something almost no U.S. city had done: it built an emergency direct potable reuse system, blending highly treated wastewater with raw lake water before final treatment.
The temporary system operated safely for about a year and helped the city avoid running out of water. It became a widely studied proof of concept that direct potable reuse could be permitted and operated in an emergency.
The city later shifted to an indirect potable reuse approach, piping treated water to a lake for environmental buffering — but its emergency project remains a landmark in U.S. reuse history.
Wichita County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Early U.S. example of emergency direct potable reuse
- Operated during the severe 2011–2015 drought
- Now uses an indirect potable reuse approach
Statewide drought history
% of Texas in severe+ drought (Severe (D2) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Wichita Falls?
Wichita Falls's largest water system, CITY OF WICHITA FALLS, serves about 102,316 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 2.5 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Wichita Falls get its water?
CITY OF WICHITA FALLS draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Texas's supply from reservoirs, Ogallala aquifer, Edwards aquifer.
Related water issues
Potable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
ExploreDrought
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.
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