BHC-Gamma (Lindane) in drinking water
1,240 active public water systems in 40 states had a BHC-Gamma (Lindane) violation in the past three years, and 64 had one in the latest quarter of EPA's data.
You are on Tapcensus, an independent guide to the EPA compliance records of every public water system in the United States. This page explains BHC-Gamma (Lindane) and lists the water systems whose records include a related violation. It does not show measured levels.
Is BHC-Gamma (Lindane) in the records for your water system?
Enter a ZIP code, town, or street address to see the water systems that serve your area, their status, and which rules and contaminants appear in their violations.
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What it is and where it comes from
Lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane, or gamma-BHC) is an organochlorine insecticide once used widely for crop protection, seed treatment, and head lice medication. Agricultural and pharmaceutical uses were canceled in the US by 2009. It is persistent in the environment and can leach from historically treated soils into groundwater.
Health effects
Lindane affects the central nervous system; acute high-dose exposure causes seizures, muscle spasms, and liver damage. Chronic exposure is associated with liver and kidney damage and immune system effects. EPA classifies lindane as a probable human carcinogen (Group B2). Children are particularly vulnerable to neurological effects.
The standard and what a violation means
EPA limit: 0.0002 mg/L (0.2 ppb).
Water systems with a BHC-Gamma (Lindane) violation, by state
Active public water systems that reported at least one related violation to EPA in the past three years. Each state links to the list of its affected systems.
| State | Systems with violations, 3 yr | Share of active systems | In violation, latest quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 197 | 3% | 8 |
| New York | 120 | 1% | 1 |
| Texas | 115 | 2% | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 104 | 8% | 0 |
| Oregon | 73 | 3% | 3 |
| Illinois | 58 | 1% | 12 |
| Washington | 44 | 1% | 8 |
| Colorado | 40 | 2% | 4 |
| Montana | 37 | 2% | 1 |
| Idaho | 36 | 2% | 3 |
| West Virginia | 33 | 4% | 4 |
| Connecticut | 31 | 1% | 1 |
| Utah | 29 | 3% | 1 |
| Michigan | 28 | 0% | 1 |
| Indiana | 27 | 1% | 2 |
| California | 26 | 0% | 1 |
| Alaska | 25 | 2% | 0 |
| Alabama | 25 | 4% | 0 |
| Wyoming | 24 | 3% | 1 |
| Vermont | 22 | 2% | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 0% | 0 |
| Missouri | 16 | 1% | 1 |
| North Carolina | 16 | 0% | 1 |
| Nevada | 16 | 3% | 0 |
| Arizona | 13 | 1% | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 12 | 1% | 1 |
| Maine | 11 | 1% | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 9 | 2% | 0 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 0% | 2 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 0% | 2 |
| Virginia | 4 | 0% | 0 |
| Maryland | 3 | 0% | 1 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 0% | 0 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 1% | 0 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 0% | 0 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 0% | 1 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| Ohio | 1 | 0% | 0 |
Largest water systems with a BHC-Gamma (Lindane) violation
The ten biggest systems, by people served, whose records include a related violation in the past three years.
| System | Serves | Status | Rules violated, 3 yr | Unresolved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Denver Water Board Denver County |
1,287,000 | 3 | 0 | |
|
Tucson City of Tucson · Pima County |
732,906 | 3 | 0 | |
|
Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth Allegheny County |
520,000 | 3 | 0 | |
|
Corona, City of Corona · Riverside County |
169,380 | 6 | 0 | |
|
City of Sunnyvale Sunnyvale · Santa Clara County |
157,566 | 5 | 0 | |
|
Naperville Naperville · DuPage County |
156,406 | 1 | 0 | |
|
Epcor Agua Fria Surprise · Maricopa County |
128,040 | 5 | 0 | |
|
Pasco Water Department Franklin County |
115,102 | 2 | 0 | |
|
Inima USA / Aquaria LLC Dighton · Bristol County |
105,643 | 1 | 0 | |
|
Lehi City Utah County |
93,446 | 2 | 0 |
About this data
A system is counted once if any of its violations in the past three years involved BHC-Gamma (Lindane), including monitoring and reporting lapses. Rules violated and status in the systems table are for the whole system, not BHC-Gamma (Lindane) alone. Counts cover active systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: the U.S. EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online system (ECHO), which publishes the federal Safe Drinking Water Information System. EPA's terms and values are shown as published. The records are from EPA's data refresh of Oct 7, 2026; EPA refreshes this data quarterly, and states report to EPA with a lag of three to six months, so the newest violations may not appear yet.