Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Newton County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
167 well testing events on record, covering
20 analytes.
Data spans 1942 to 2018.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. TX Avg
Iron
98
1960–2021
81%
194% of limit
↑ 26% above
Manganese
63
1965–2021
87%
85% of limit
↑ 32% above
Radon
7
2005–2013
100%
7% of limit
↓ 80% below
Nitrate
44
1942–2013
75%
1% of limit
↓ 96% below
Chloride
28
1942–2013
100%
3% of limit
↓ 90% below
Arsenic
57
1992–2021
18%
4% of limit
↓ 89% below
Fluoride
159
1941–2021
86%
4% of limit
↓ 85% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
8
2024
0%
—
—
Lead
57
1992–2021
18%
14% of limit
~ typical
Nitrite
7
2005–2013
0%
—
—
PFHxS
municipal
8
2024
0%
—
—
PFNA
municipal
8
2024
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
8
2024
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
8
2024
0%
—
—
Sulfate
28
1942–2013
100%
3% of limit
↓ 90% below
Uranium
24
2005–2021
25%
13% of limit
~ typical
Sodium
28
1942–2013
100%
—
↓ 90% below
pH
24
1964–2013
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
8
2024
0%
—
—
Hardness
28
1942–2013
100%
—
↓ 82% below
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 Newton County
Of the 57 arsenic tests on record for Newton County (1992–2021),
82% found none.
Of the 28 chloride tests on record for Newton County (1942–2013),
0% found none, and half were below 8.5 mg/L.
Of the 159 fluoride tests on record for Newton County (1941–2021),
14% found none, and half were below 100 µg/L.
Of the 98 iron tests on record for Newton County (1960–2021),
19% found none, and half were below 305 µg/L.
Of the 57 lead tests on record for Newton County (1992–2021),
82% found none.
Of the 63 manganese tests on record for Newton County (1965–2021),
13% found none, and half were below 37.3 µg/L.
Of the 44 nitrate tests on record for Newton County (1942–2013),
25% found none, and half were below 30 µg/L.
Of the 28 sulfate tests on record for Newton County (1942–2013),
0% found none, and half were below 7.47 mg/L.
Of the 24 uranium tests on record for Newton County (2005–2021),
75% found none.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 98 samples
Manganese 63 samples
Nitrate 44 samples
Chloride 28 samples
Arsenic 57 samples
Fluoride 159 samples
Lead 57 samples
Sulfate 28 samples
Uranium 24 samples
Sodium 28 samples
pH 24 samples
Hardness 28 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Radon 7 samples
Nitrite 7 samples
No private-well PFAS data for Newton County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Newton 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 Newton County
9Active public water systems
10,567Residents on public water
40%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Newton 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 Newton County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Newton 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.