City of Portis
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
- 86 people
- Connections
- 72
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Portis, KS
- County
- Osborne
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Very hard
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, and 2 more are above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate, above the legal limit. 1 health-based violation since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2007 to 2024.
Nitrate, arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and chromium (total): Kansas’s own results, samples taken from Jan. 19, 2020 to July 13, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit1
Nitrate
Comes from the source
11ppm
Highest sample; found in 14 of 14
2025 average: 5.4 ppm
From 2021 to 2024, three samples were above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, the highest 11 ppm in 2024. The next sample at the same point, within 30 days, kept the average above the limit for one; one came back under and one has no follow-up sample on file within 30 days. In 2025, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 5.4 ppm. EPA recorded a violation for nitrate at this utility in 2024. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 11 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Above the health goal2
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
10.7ppb
90th percentile, 2022 to 2024
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 10.7 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027, and this result is at or above that. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Lead Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Lead Reduction”
Arsenic
Comes from the source
2.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
2024, one sample: 1.9 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.7 ppb, in 2021: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. In 2024, the latest year on file, its one sample was 1.9 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.9 ppb, in 2015.
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 limits4
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
57ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 42 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 57 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 74 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 42 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 140 ppb, in 2016.
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
14ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 6.8 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 14 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 21 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 6.8 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 8.2 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.28ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
2024, one sample: 0.28 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.28 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2024, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.28 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.29 ppm, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
3.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 3.0 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 5.8 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
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, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Nitrate, Lead, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction, Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Nitrate, Lead, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Nitrate; Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)
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
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate, Lead, 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: Nitrate, Lead, Arsenic
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate, Lead
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: Lead, Arsenic
Hardness
Very hard, 495 mg/L (28.9 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, 2015 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.
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024 | 11 MG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 4 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Nitrate, arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), 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 Portis’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 Jan. 19, 2020 to July 13, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The lab Kansas certifies closest to the area City of Portis serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
LandIntel Solutions, LLC
Scandia, KS · about 52 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 April 13, 2015 to April 15, 2024, read Oct. 18, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID KS2014104. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 3 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Nitrate
- Get the utility’s own reportCity of Portis 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