Home hazard report for 79021 — Cotton Center, TX
ZIP 79021 is served by Cotton Center WSC: 4 violations since 2016, latest lead result 9 ppb, PFAS not tested. Hale County is in EPA radon zone 2.
Health-based violations since 2016: Revised Total Coliform Rule, Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. 3 are still listed as unresolved in EPA records.
90th-percentile lead in the latest round (Jul 2024). Lead comes mostly from household plumbing and service lines, so individual homes can be higher.
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Predicted average indoor radon between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Test your home; many homes here exceed 4 pCi/L.
FEMA’s overall natural-hazard risk for this census tract, relative to the rest of the U.S.
No active Superfund site within 10 miles of the ZIP center.
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Where ZIP 79021 is
Dashed: ZIP area · blue: utility service area · scroll or pinch to zoomDrinking water: Cotton Center WSC
Health-based violations
| Contaminant or rule | Health-based violations since 2016 |
|---|---|
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | 3 |
| Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | 1 |
A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its legal limit (MCL) or a required treatment technique was not met, as reported by the state to EPA’s SDWIS. 3 still listed as unresolved (“unaddressed” or “addressed” but not yet returned to compliance); the latest began Mar 2025.
Lead
90th-percentile lead per sampling round (90% of the homes sampled were at or below this level). Black line: EPA’s 15 ppb action level; under the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements the action level becomes 10 ppb from 2027.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5).
Radon in Hale County
EPA radon zone 2 — moderate potential. Predicted average indoor radon between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Test your home; many homes here exceed 4 pCi/L.
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas from soil and rock, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above and considering it from 2 pCi/L. A short-term test kit costs about $15–30. How radon zones work →
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the overall natural-hazard risk of this neighborhood (census tract) as Relatively High, with relatively high social vulnerability and very low community resilience.
FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025): expected annual losses from each hazard combined with social vulnerability and community resilience, rated relative to all U.S. census tracts. Hazards not listed are not applicable here. It describes the area, not a single building; flood insurance maps (FEMA FIRMs) decide flood-insurance requirements.
Live conditions: river gauges and flood levels · tornado warnings · wildfire detections · earthquakes — our sister maps, updated from NOAA, USGS and NASA every few minutes.
Superfund sites nearby
No site on EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List lies within 10 miles of the center of this ZIP code.
EPA Superfund National Priorities List (NPL): the country’s most serious known hazardous-waste sites, each with an EPA cleanup record (linked). Distance is measured from the ZIP center to the site’s reference point; being near a site does not by itself mean exposure — EPA site pages describe what was found and how it is being cleaned up.
What this is — and isn’t. These are records your water utility and state reported to the EPA, and the EPA’s radon map for your county. They describe the system and the area, not the water from your own tap or the air in your home. For that, read your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report and test: lead and radon tests are inexpensive.
Questions about 79021
Who supplies drinking water to ZIP 79021?
Cotton Center WSC (EPA ID TX0950014), a groundwater (wells) system serving about 250 people.
Is there lead in Cotton Center, TX tap water?
The utility’s latest 90th-percentile lead result (Jul 2024) was 9 ppb; EPA’s action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb from 2027. Lead mostly comes from service lines and home plumbing, so the only way to know your tap is to test it.
Does Cotton Center, TX water have PFAS?
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Has the water system in 79021 had violations?
Health-based violations since 2016: Revised Total Coliform Rule, Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. 3 are still listed as unresolved in EPA records.
What natural hazards affect ZIP 79021?
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk here as Relatively High; the highest-rated hazards are hail (very high), strong wind (very high), tornado (very high).
Are there Superfund sites near 79021?
No active Superfund site within 10 miles of the ZIP center.
Is radon a problem in Hale County?
Hale County is in EPA radon zone 2 (moderate potential). Predicted average indoor radon between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Test your home; many homes here exceed 4 pCi/L.