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EWG's Tap Water Database — 2021 UPDATE

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Octadecanoic acid

Status: No national drinking water standard exists

 

Octadecanoic acid, also called stearic acid, is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in animal and plant lipids.

2017-2019:

FOUND

1

states detected

161

utilities detected

1.6 million

people served

States reporting octadecanoic acid in drinking water

UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION
State UtilitiesPeople Served
Texas1611,595,117
MORE
LESS

Filtering technologies that reduce octadecanoic acid

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Activated Carbon

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Reverse Osmosis

Utilities with the highest amounts of octadecanoic acid, 2017-2019

ALL UTILITIES
LARGE UTILITIES
UtilityLocationTestsAverage levelPeople served
Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 194Houston, TX2 of 249.0 ppb776
Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 146*Houston, TX2 of 249.0 ppb3,555
Harris County Water Control and Improvement District 91Houston, TX1 of 137.0 ppb3,018
Harris County Municipal Utility District 155*Houston, TX1 of 128.3 ppb2,433
Harris County Municipal Utility District 156Houston, TX1 of 128.3 ppb2,115
City of South HoustonSouth Houston, TX2 of 221.6 ppb17,397
City of FriendswoodFriendswood, TX1 of 120.0 ppb37,921
Terranova West Municipal Utility District*Houston, TX1 of 119.9 ppb2,619
Harris County Municipal Utility District 276*Houston, TX1 of 118.0 ppb4,902
Walnut Bend Water SystemLufkin, TX1 of 117.0 ppb51
City of Port NechesPort Neches, TX1 of 114.0 ppb13,040
Laguna Madre Water DistrictPort Isabel, TX2 of 213.8 ppb19,908
Bayview Municipal Utility DistrictBacliff, TX1 of 112.6 ppb1,839
City of La PorteLa Porte, TX5 of 511.6 ppb34,733
Bexar County Water Control and Improvement District 10 WindcrestWindcrest, TX1 of 111.0 ppb7,569
City of BlancoBlanco, TX1 of 111.0 ppb3,192
Harris County Municipal Utility District 162Houston, TX1 of 111.0 ppb2,649
Sebastian Municipal Utility DistrictSebastian, TX2 of 210.4 ppb2,500
Cnp Utility DistrictHouston, TX1 of 110.00 ppb14,667
Galveston County WCID 1Dickinson, TX2 of 210.00 ppb29,280
Galveston County Water Control and Improvement District 8Santa Fe, TX3 of 39.73 ppb6,732
Harris County Water Control and Improvement District 110Houston, TX1 of 19.70 ppb8,439
City of Coleman*Coleman, TX1 of 18.60 ppb4,709
Northwest Harris County Municipal Utility District 30Houston, TX1 of 18.60 ppb3,225
Memorial Villages Water AuthorityHouston, TX2 of 28.35 ppb11,427
Faulkey Gully Municipal Utility DistrictCypress, TX1 of 18.30 ppb8,049
Cedar PointAustin, TX1 of 18.20 ppb1,353
City of BurnetBurnet, TX2 of 27.55 ppb7,011
Wellborn SUDWellborn, TX1 of 17.10 ppb25,677
Harris County Municipal Utility District 185Houston, TX1 of 17.00 ppb4,548
City of Pflugerville*Pflugerville, TX1 of 16.90 ppb42,903
City of HaysBuda, TX1 of 16.90 ppb270
Harris County Municipal Utility District 368Houston, TX1 of 16.80 ppb9,906
Galveston County Municipal Utility District 12Bayou Vista, TX3 of 36.77 ppb2,900
Armstrong Water Supply CorporationHolland, TX1 of 16.60 ppb2,838
Harris County Water Control and Improvement District 96Houston, TX1 of 16.40 ppb8,430
City of GrovesGroves, TX1 of 16.40 ppb15,967
City of Texas CityTexas City, TX1 of 16.30 ppb48,558
Jackrabbit Road Public Utility DistrictHouston, TX1 of 16.20 ppb8,406
Spring Creek Forest Public Utility DistrictHouston, TX1 of 16.20 ppb2,364
Gonzales County Water Supply CorporationGonzales, TX1 of 15.90 ppb7,000
Millersview-doole Water Supply Corporation*Millersview, TX1 of 15.80 ppb3,987
City of Paint RockPaint Rock, TX1 of 15.80 ppb273
West Harris County Municipal Utility District 1*Houston, TX1 of 15.40 ppb5,280
Harris County Municipal Utility District 25 Brook Hollow West S*Houston, TX1 of 15.40 ppb93
Bacliff Municipal Utility DistrictBacliff, TX2 of 25.35 ppb7,095
Briarcreek SubdivisionAustin, TX1 of 15.30 ppb2,769
Lakeside Water Control and Improvement District 2-bAustin, TX1 of 15.30 ppb1,419
Manville WSC*Coupland, TX1 of 15.30 ppb26,253
Kelly Lane Water Control and Improvement District 1Austin, TX1 of 15.30 ppb2,331

* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Octadecanoic acid, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.

UtilityLocationTestsAverage levelPeople served
City of South HoustonSouth Houston, TX2 of 221.6 ppb17,397
City of FriendswoodFriendswood, TX1 of 120.0 ppb37,921
City of Port NechesPort Neches, TX1 of 114.0 ppb13,040
Laguna Madre Water DistrictPort Isabel, TX2 of 213.8 ppb19,908
City of La PorteLa Porte, TX5 of 511.6 ppb34,733
Cnp Utility DistrictHouston, TX1 of 110.00 ppb14,667
Galveston County WCID 1Dickinson, TX2 of 210.00 ppb29,280
Memorial Villages Water AuthorityHouston, TX2 of 28.35 ppb11,427
Wellborn SUDWellborn, TX1 of 17.10 ppb25,677
City of Pflugerville*Pflugerville, TX1 of 16.90 ppb42,903
City of GrovesGroves, TX1 of 16.40 ppb15,967
City of Texas CityTexas City, TX1 of 16.30 ppb48,558
Manville WSC*Coupland, TX1 of 15.30 ppb26,253
Harris County MUD 200 Cranbrook*Houston, TX2 of 25.25 ppb14,697
City of BeltonBelton, TX1 of 15.10 ppb21,214
City of KilleenKilleen, TX1 of 15.10 ppb140,806
City of Copperas Cove*Copperas Cove, TX1 of 15.10 ppb33,919
City of Harker HeightsHarker Heights, TX1 of 15.10 ppb30,365
US Army South Fort HoodFort Hood, TX1 of 15.10 ppb35,669
Harris County MUD 168Sugar Land, TX1 of 14.80 ppb13,029
Harris County MUD 53Houston, TX4 of 44.73 ppb16,164
City of BeevilleBeeville, TX2 of 24.60 ppb15,039
City of Port ArthurPort Arthur, TX4 of 44.25 ppb42,796
Kingsland Water Supply CorporationKingsland, TX1 of 14.00 ppb10,773
Clwsc Canyon Lake Shores*Canyon Lake, TX1 of 13.90 ppb24,153
Langham Creek Utility District*Houston, TX1 of 13.90 ppb10,377
City of HuttoHutto, TX1 of 13.70 ppb16,638
East Rio Hondo WSC*Rio Hondo, TX1 of 13.70 ppb21,726
City of Corpus Christi*Corpus Christi, TX1 of 13.60 ppb325,733
City of La MarqueLa Marque, TX1 of 13.50 ppb15,154
City of Galveston*Galveston, TX1 of 13.50 ppb50,180
Agua SUDMission, TX2 of 23.40 ppb46,872
Clear Lake City Water Authority*Houston, TX1 of 13.30 ppb85,392
Clear Brook City MUD*Houston, TX2 of 23.20 ppb12,390
City of OrangeOrange, TX1 of 13.20 ppb18,643
City of CluteClute, TX1 of 13.20 ppb11,210
City of Galena ParkGalena Park, TX4 of 43.10 ppb10,089
City of Abilene*Abilene, TX1 of 13.10 ppb123,886
City of League CityLeague City, TX3 of 33.07 ppb104,857
City of BellaireBellaire, TX1 of 13.00 ppb22,473
City of San JuanSan Juan, TX1 of 12.90 ppb30,027
Newport Municipal Utility DistrictHouston, TX1 of 12.90 ppb10,374
Lakeway MUD*Lakeway, TX1 of 12.90 ppb10,512
Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 112Sugar Land, TX2 of 22.80 ppb15,966
Nueces County WCID 3*Robstown, TX2 of 22.70 ppb14,607
City of BoerneBoerne, TX1 of 12.60 ppb16,056
City of Houston Willow ChaseHouston, TX1 of 12.60 ppb12,285
City of EdinburgEdinburg, TX1 of 12.50 ppb85,224
City of West University PlaceWest University Place, TX1 of 12.50 ppb18,405
Harlingen Water Works System*Harlingen, TX1 of 12.50 ppb85,900

* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Octadecanoic acid, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.