Town of Fowler
What EPA’s and Colorado’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 1,169 people
- Connections
- 796
- Water source
- Groundwater influenced by surface water
- Based in
- Fowler, CO
- County
- Otero
- Owner
- Local government
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Uranium, above the health goal. 4 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Uranium, arsenic, nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5) and chromium (total): Colorado’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 11, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal2
Uranium
Comes from the source
22.1ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 22.1 ppb, in 2026: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 27.4 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 21.3 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Arsenic
Comes from the source
2.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.0 ppb, in 2025: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 4.0 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
Below EPA’s limits5
Nitrate
Comes from the source
8.4ppm
Highest sample; found in 26 of 27
2026 average: 6.2 ppm
The highest sample, in 2026, was 8.4 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its three samples averaged 6.2 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 9.2 ppm, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
42.6ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 36.1 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 42.6 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 51.6 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 36.1 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 87.2 ppb, in 2013, and EPA recorded violations in 2013 and 2014.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
1.4ppm
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.4 ppm, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.7 ppm, in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
16.3ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 15.3 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 16.3 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 19.5 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 15.3 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 26.1 ppb, in 2017.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
7.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
2025, one sample: 6.0 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 7.0 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 6.0 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 4.7 ppb, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
One compound tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Lead
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claim: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Uranium, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Uranium, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)
At the tap, or for the whole house?
These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2024 | 18 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 | 19.1 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 | 20.3 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Water drawn from a river, lake or reservoir was not filtered as required.EPA: Failure to Filter (SWTR) | April 1, 2016 | — | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 15 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Uranium, arsenic, nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5) and chromium (total) results here are Colorado’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Town of Fowler’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; Colorado’s results run from Feb. 11, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The lab Colorado certifies closest to the area Town of Fowler serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment
Pueblo, CO · about 38 miles
Certified for bacteria
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division, results from Jan. 3, 2020 to Oct. 6, 2026, read Oct. 17, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: CDPHE certified drinking water laboratories, read Oct. 16, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID CO0145210. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 2 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Uranium
- Get the utility’s own reportTown of Fowler must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs