Franklin Co RWD 6
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
- 2,960 people
- Connections
- 1,080
- Water source
- Surface water
- Based in
- Rantoul, KS
- County
- Franklin
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Very hard
The short answer
2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Lead, above the health goal. 1 health-based violation since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2007 to 2023.
Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, fluoride and chromium (total): Kansas’s own results, samples taken from March 2, 2020 to June 2, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal2
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
5.3ppb
90th percentile, 2021 to 2023
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 5.3 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
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Lead Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Lead Reduction”
Arsenic
Comes from the source
1.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.0 ppb, in 2023: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. 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 1.7 ppb, in 2017.
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
54ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 42 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 54 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 72 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 42 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 71.3 ppb, in 2016, and EPA recorded a violation in 2017.
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
34ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 28.5 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 34 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 56 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 28.5 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 58.5 ppb, in 2014, and EPA recorded violations in 2014 and 2015.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Nitrate
Comes from the source
1.4ppm
Highest sample; found in 9 of 14
2026 average: 0.67 ppm
The highest sample, in 2025, was 1.4 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 0.67 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 2.2 ppm, in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.19ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.19 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. 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 0.25 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
1.4ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.4 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 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 3.2 ppb, in 2013.
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: Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Lead, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Lead, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: 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
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: Lead, 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: Lead, Arsenic
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Hardness
Very hard, 220 mg/L (12.9 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, 2015 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017 | 0.09 MG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 1 monitoring or reporting violation not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, fluoride and chromium (total) results here are Kansas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Franklin Co RWD 6’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 2, 2020 to June 2, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Kansas certifies closest to the area Franklin Co RWD 6 serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Johnson County Water Quality Laboratory
Olathe, KS · about 32 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper
Olathe Environmental Laboratory
Olathe, KS · about 32 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Eurofins Kansas City
Lenexa, KS · about 39 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 May 11, 2015 to May 5, 2026, read Oct. 18, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID KS2005909. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
Towns it serves
Also in Franklin County
- City of Ottawa12,604
- Franklin Co RWD 42,281
- City of Wellsville1,933
- City of Pomona890
- Franklin Co RWD 5855
- Franklin Co RWD 1665
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 Lead
- Get the utility’s own reportFranklin Co RWD 6 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