Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Bandera County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
326 well testing events on record, covering
16 analytes.
Data spans 1971 to 2016.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. TX Avg
Sulfate
37
1990–2016
100%
133% of limit
↑ 365% above
Iron
232
1941–2020
76%
87% of limit
↓ 43% below
Radon
13
1990–2016
100%
8% of limit
↓ 77% below
Manganese
217
1941–2020
62%
12% of limit
↓ 82% below
Fluoride
313
1941–2020
96%
50% of limit
↑ 111% above
Nitrate
56
1990–2016
59%
2% of limit
↓ 90% below
Arsenic
203
1988–2020
5%
16% of limit
↓ 58% below
Chloride
37
1990–2016
100%
9% of limit
↓ 75% below
Lead
196
1988–2020
15%
16% of limit
~ typical
Nitrite
17
1990–2016
24%
2% of limit
↑ 75% above
Uranium
36
1996–2020
8%
4% of limit
↓ 74% below
Total Coliform
1
2016
100%
—
~ typical
Sodium
38
1990–2016
97%
—
↓ 81% below
pH
37
1990–2016
100%
—
~ typical
Hardness
38
1990–2016
100%
—
↑ 127% above
E. coli
1
2016
0%
—
—
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 Bandera County
Of the 203 arsenic tests on record for Bandera County (1988–2020),
95% found none.
Of the 37 chloride tests on record for Bandera County (1990–2016),
0% found none, and half were below 22.3 mg/L.
Of the 313 fluoride tests on record for Bandera County (1941–2020),
4% found none, and half were below 2 mg/L.
Of the 232 iron tests on record for Bandera County (1941–2020),
24% found none, and half were below 137 µg/L.
Of the 196 lead tests on record for Bandera County (1988–2020),
85% found none.
Of the 217 manganese tests on record for Bandera County (1941–2020),
38% found none, and half were below 2.44 µg/L.
Of the 56 nitrate tests on record for Bandera County (1990–2016),
41% found none, and half were below 15 µg/L.
Of the 37 sulfate tests on record for Bandera County (1990–2016),
0% found none, and half were below 332 mg/L.
Of the 36 uranium tests on record for Bandera County (1996–2020),
92% found none.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Sulfate 37 samples
Iron 232 samples
Manganese 217 samples
Fluoride 313 samples
Nitrate 56 samples
Arsenic 203 samples
Chloride 37 samples
Lead 196 samples
Nitrite 17 samples
Uranium 36 samples
Sodium 38 samples
pH 37 samples
Hardness 38 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Radon 13 samples
Total Coliform 1 sample
E. coli 1 sample
No private-well PFAS data for Bandera County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Bandera 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 →
CDC Health Outcome Correlations
Where contaminants detected in Bandera 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 Bandera 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 Bandera County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Bandera 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 Bandera County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Bandera 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.