Is McPherson, KS tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 4 utilities serving McPherson has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Kansas’s records.
City of McPherson, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 18.9 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of McPherson is very hard, 360 mg/L (21.1 grains per gallon). How Kansas’s water compares.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in McPherson’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of McPherson
Kansas · serves 13,944 people · about 440 in McPherson
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 18.9 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, 360 mg/L (21.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
McPherson Co RWD 3
Kansas · serves 28 people · under 100 in McPherson
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.9 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
McPherson Co RWD 4
Kansas · serves 636 people · under 100 in McPherson
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
McPherson Co RWD 2
Kansas · serves 186 people · under 100 in McPherson
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.2 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of McPherson’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
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, 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: Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near McPherson
The 3 labs Kansas certifies closest to McPherson, 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 31 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Meridian Analytical Laboratory - Wichita
Wichita, KS · about 58 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 69 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in McPherson
Which ZIP codes are in McPherson: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Kansas Department of Health and Environment, drinking water labs, as listed in TNI LAMS; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near McPherson
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of McPherson’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water