Webb County, Texas: drinking water report. Webb County – Laredo – sits on the US-Mexico border, home to about 280,000 residents.
Webb County – Laredo – sits on the US-Mexico border, home to about 280,000 residents. The City of Laredo draws from the Rio Grande, sharing the river with Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, just across the border. The Rio Grande at Laredo is heavily utilized and carries agricultural runoff, treated and untreated wastewater, and industrial discharges from communities on both sides of the border.
The Rio Grande's water quality at Laredo reflects its role as an international border river with limited flow. During drought years, the river's reduced volume concentrates contaminants. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, total dissolved solids and salinity levels in the Rio Grande at Laredo have been elevated for years, requiring the city to invest in advanced treatment including reverse osmosis.
UCMR5 data shows PFAS detections in the Laredo water system. Cross-border contamination dynamics make the PFAS picture more complex than in most US cities – pollution sources on the Mexican side are harder to monitor and regulate. Laredo has invested in RO treatment for a portion of its supply, which incidentally provides strong PFAS removal.
Laredo's investment in RO treatment helps, but not all water in the system passes through RO. Supply blending means quality can vary.
Check your water for current data in your area. If your neighborhood receives conventionally treated water, an under-sink RO system provides comprehensive protection. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our Texas page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Webb County, TX.
The EPA places Webb County, TX in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
26% of homes in Webb County, TX were built before 1980, and 6% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Webb County, TX averages 9.4 µg/m³, above the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide