Is Salina, KS tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 6 utilities serving Salina have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Kansas’s records: Saline Co RWD 2 and Sundowner, Inc.
City of Salina, 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 41.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Salina is moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 110 to 140 mg/L (6.4 to 8.2 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 Salina’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Salina
Kansas · serves 46,481 people · about 4,700 in Salina
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 41.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 110 to 140 mg/L (6.4 to 8.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Ottawa Co RWD 2
Kansas · serves 1,794 people · about 180 in Salina
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 84 to 190 mg/L (4.9 to 11.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Saline Co RWD 4
Kansas · serves 768 people · under 100 in Salina
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 260 mg/L (15.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Saline Co RWD 3
Kansas · serves 936 people · under 100 in Salina
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Saline Co RWD 2
Kansas · serves 465 people · under 100 in Salina
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 15 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, 190 mg/L (11.1 grains per gallon).
4 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Sundowner, Inc
Kansas · serves 220 people · lists Salina among the places it serves
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 315 mg/L (18.4 grains per gallon).
2 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 Salina’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 Salina
The 3 labs Kansas certifies closest to Salina, 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 · under a mile
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Irwin Army Community Hospital-Water Laboratory-PH-EH
Fort Riley, KS · about 50 miles
Certified for bacteria
LandIntel Solutions, LLC
Scandia, KS · about 65 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Salina
Which ZIP codes are in Salina: 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 Salina
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Salina’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