Jefferson Co RWD 3
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
- 2,435 people
- Connections
- 814
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Valley Falls, KS
- County
- Jefferson
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Very hard
The short answer
2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Lead, above the health goal. 4 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2007 to 2026.
Arsenic, nitrate, fluoride, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), chromium (total) and haloacetic acids (HAA5): Kansas’s own results, samples taken from April 6, 2020 to June 22, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal2
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
2.2ppb
90th percentile, 2024 to 2026
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 2.2 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
1.1ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.1 ppb, in 2026: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. That was also the latest year on file.
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
Nitrate
Comes from the source
10ppm
Highest sample; found in 1 of 10
2026 average: 5.0 ppm
The highest sample, in 2026, was 10 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its two samples averaged 5.0 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.61 ppm, in 2019.
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
0.22ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.22 ppm, in 2020, 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 0.22 ppm, in 2014.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
2.4ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.4 ppb, in 2025, 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 6.1 ppb, in 2017.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
1.3ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.3 ppb, in 2020, 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 1.9 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.
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
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, 385 mg/L (22.5 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groundwater Rule | A significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address Deficiency | July 4, 2019 | — | Resolved |
| Groundwater Rule | A significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address Deficiency | July 4, 2019 | — | Resolved |
| Groundwater Rule | A significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address Deficiency | July 4, 2019 | — | Resolved |
| Groundwater Rule | A significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address Deficiency | July 4, 2019 | — | 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. Arsenic, nitrate, fluoride, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), chromium (total) and haloacetic acids (HAA5) results here are Kansas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Jefferson Co RWD 3’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 April 6, 2020 to June 22, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Kansas certifies closest to the area Jefferson Co RWD 3 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 41 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper
Olathe Environmental Laboratory
Olathe, KS · about 41 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Water District No 1 of Johnson County-WaterOne
Kansas City, KS · about 44 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
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 1, 2017 to April 27, 2026, read Oct. 18, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID KS2008708. 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 Lead
- Get the utility’s own reportJefferson Co RWD 3 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