Is Topeka, KS tap water safe?
The short answer
5 of the 6 utilities serving Topeka have 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 Topeka, Shawnee Co RWD 8, Metro Topeka Airport Authority and 2 more.
City of Topeka, 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 18.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Topeka is hard, 135 mg/L (7.9 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 Topeka’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Topeka
Kansas · serves 125,963 people · about 85,200 in Topeka
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 18.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: hard, 135 mg/L (7.9 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Shawnee Co RWD 8
Kansas · serves 6,073 people · about 2,600 in Topeka
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 18.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
3 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Shawnee Co RWD 4c
Kansas · serves 12,000 people · about 350 in Topeka
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 21 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 95 mg/L (5.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Metro Topeka Airport Authority
Kansas · serves 500 people · under 100 in Topeka
1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 77.5 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: very hard, 220 mg/L (12.9 grains per gallon).
18 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Shawnee Co RWD 3c
Kansas · serves 2,960 people · lists Topeka among the places it serves
1 result above the legal limit. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 70.5 ppb, above the legal limit.
9 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Shawnee Co RWD 2c
Kansas · serves 700 people · lists Topeka among the places it serves
1 result above the action level and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Copper at 1.6 ppm, above the action level. Hardness: very hard, 255 mg/L (14.9 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 Topeka’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 Topeka
The 3 labs Kansas certifies closest to Topeka, 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 45 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper
Olathe Environmental Laboratory
Olathe, KS · about 45 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Eurofins Kansas City
Lenexa, KS · about 51 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Topeka: 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 Topeka
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Topeka’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