City of Galva
What EPA’s and Kansas’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
- 870 people
- Connections
- 480
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Galva, KS
- County
- McPherson
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Very hard
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above EPA’s legal limit. The worst: Arsenic, above the legal limit. 4 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Copper: EPA’s file records a utility’s copper only when it exceeds the action level. The last here was 1.6 ppm, for the period ending Dec. 31, 2011. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.
Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and chromium (total): Kansas’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 4, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit1
Arsenic
Comes from the source
8.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 4.2 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 8.7 ppb, in 2020: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 11 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 4.2 ppb. EPA judges this limit at each sampling point, and recorded a violation for arsenic at this utility in 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 12.4 ppb, in 2017, and EPA recorded violations in 2018 and 2019.
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
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
44ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 44 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 41 ppb, in 2014.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
4.8ppm
Highest sample; found in 23 of 23
2026 average: 3.2 ppm
The highest sample, in 2021, was 4.8 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its four samples averaged 3.2 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 4.3 ppm, in 2017.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
17ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 17 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 13 ppb, in 2014.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.33ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 0.3 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.33 ppm, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 0.35 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 0.3 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.28 ppm, in 2014.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
1.6ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 0.5 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.6 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 1.8 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 0.5 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.33 ppb, in 2017.
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
Claim: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: 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
Hardness
Very hard, typically 605 mg/L (35.4 grains per gallon), across 3 sampling points, 2017 to 2026.
Hardness is calcium and magnesium. EPA sets no limit for it: it shows up as scale on fixtures and in water heaters, and as soap that won’t lather. USGS calls water above 60 mg/L moderately hard, above 120 hard and above 180 very hard.
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 | 0.011 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019 | 0.011 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019 | 0.011 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018 | 0.011 MG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 7 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and chromium (total) results here are Kansas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. City of Galva’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; Kansas’s results run from Feb. 4, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Kansas certifies closest to the area City of Galva serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Pace Analytical Services, Inc. - Salina
Salina, KS · about 32 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Meridian Analytical Laboratory - Wichita
Wichita, KS · about 54 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Irwin Army Community Hospital-Water Laboratory-PH-EH
Fort Riley, KS · about 63 miles
Certified for bacteria
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Public Water Supply Section, results from Jan. 2, 2020 to Sept. 16, 2026, read Oct. 18, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Kansas Department of Health and Environment, drinking water labs, as listed in TNI LAMS, read Oct. 13, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Hardness: Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Public Water Supply Section, results from Feb. 13, 2017 to Feb. 2, 2026, read Oct. 18, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID KS2011312. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on ArsenicWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Arsenic
- Get the utility’s own reportCity of Galva 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