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City of Highland

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
917 people
Connections
424
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Highland, KS
County
Doniphan
Owner
Local government
Hardness
Very hard
The ZIP code it serves

66035

The short answer

1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, and 1 more is above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate, above the legal limit. 12 health-based violations since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2012 to 2026.

Copper: EPA’s file records a utility’s copper only when it exceeds the action level. The last here was 1.4 ppm, for the period ending Dec. 31, 2009. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.

Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, chromium (total) and arsenic: Kansas’s own results, samples taken from March 23, 2020 to July 21, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Above the legal limit1

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Above the legal limit

13ppm

Highest sample; found in 22 of 23

2025, one sample: 7.2 ppm

From 2020 to 2023, 14 samples were above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, the highest 13 ppm in 2020. The next sample at the same point, within 30 days, kept the average above the limit for two; 12 have no follow-up sample on file within 30 days. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 7.2 ppm. EPA recorded violations for nitrate at this utility in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 10 ppm, in 2017.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”

Above the health goal1

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the health goal

2.1ppb

90th percentile, 2024 to 2026

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 2.1 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

Below EPA’s limits4

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

15ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026: not found

Averaged by year, the highest was 15 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 4.6 ppb, in 2018.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”

Haloacetic acids (HAA5)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

7.5ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026: not found

Averaged by year, the highest was 7.5 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

Fluoride

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

0.34ppm

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2024

2024, one sample: 0.3 ppm

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.34 ppm, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2024, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.3 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.3 ppm, in 2014.

What handles it

Chromium (total)

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

4.1ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2024

2024, one sample: 1.7 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 4.1 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. In 2024, the latest year on file, its one sample was 1.7 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 3.1 ppb, in 2014.

What handles it

One compound tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
  • Arsenic

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

    Claims: Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge), Lead Reduction

    For: Nitrate, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: Nitrate, Lead

    Other certifiers’ wording: Nitrate

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. 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

Compare five-year costs

The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked

The best water filters for lead, ranked

Hardness

Very hard, typically 205 mg/L (12 grains per gallon), across 2 sampling points, 2017 to 2024.

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.

Softeners compared at 12 grains per gallon, salt includedSoftener or salt-free conditioner?Kansas water hardness, utility by utility

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2023 to June 30, 202312 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2023 to March 31, 202312 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 202212 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 202212 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2022 to June 30, 202212 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2022 to March 31, 202211 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 202113 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2021 to June 30, 202111 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2021 to March 31, 202113 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 202012 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 202013 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 202013 MG/LResolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 3 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, chromium (total) and arsenic results here are Kansas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. City of Highland’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 March 23, 2020 to July 21, 2026.

Testing your own tap

City of Highland’s results are for the water it sends out. What your own service line, solder and fixtures add shows up only in a test of your tap, by a lab Kansas certifies.

The 3 labs Kansas certifies closest to the area City of Highland serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • KC Water Services Laboratory

    Kansas City, MO · about 62 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals

    (816) 513-7000

  • Water District No 1 of Johnson County-WaterOne

    Kansas City, KS · about 63 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics

    (913) 895-5800

  • Eurofins Kansas City

    Lenexa, KS · about 69 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (319) 595-2009

All 47 certified labs for Kansas

Sources

PWSID KS2004306. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Also in Doniphan County

All Kansas utilities

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