Randall County, Texas: drinking water report. Randall County in the Texas Panhandle has about 137,000 residents, including Canyon and parts of Amarillo.
Randall County in the Texas Panhandle has about 137,000 residents, including Canyon and parts of Amarillo. The county relies on the Ogallala Aquifer – the massive underground water source stretching from South Dakota to Texas – for virtually all of its drinking water. The aquifer is declining across the Texas Panhandle, and the region's agricultural economy (cattle feedlots, wheat, cotton) depends on the same water supply.
The Ogallala Aquifer in Randall County has declined an average of 1.5 feet per year over the past decade, according to the Texas Water Development Board's 2024 groundwater monitoring data. Some monitoring wells show declines exceeding 100 feet since the 1960s. As the saturated thickness decreases, water quality can shift – higher mineral concentrations and elevated fluoride have been documented in some areas where wells now draw from the aquifer's base.
Cattle feedlots in the county generate concentrated animal waste that contributes nitrate to the shallow aquifer. A 2024 TCEQ study found nitrate above 5 mg/L in 14% of private wells tested in the county's feedlot-intensive areas. The former Amarillo Air Force Base (now Rick Husband International Airport) has documented PFAS that may affect the regional aquifer.
Randall County's water future depends on the Ogallala Aquifer's longevity, and the current trajectory is not sustainable. For household water quality, the main concerns are elevated minerals as the aquifer thins and agricultural nitrate near feedlot operations.
Check your water for data at your address. For elevated TDS, fluoride, and nitrate, reverse osmosis is the most effective household treatment. Our water filter guide covers systems designed for high-mineral-content aquifer water. Get your detailed report for trends, and visit our Texas page for statewide context.