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Washington Co RWD 1

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
1,093 people
Connections
712
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Hanover, KS
County
Washington
Owner
Local government
Hardness
Varies by source
The 6 ZIP codes it serves

66412, 66508, 66548, 66945, 66946, 66968

The short answer

2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic, above the health goal. No health-based violations on file since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2005 to 2026.

Copper: EPA’s file records a utility’s copper only when it exceeds the action level. The last here was 1.5 ppm, for the period ending Dec. 31, 2004. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.

Arsenic, nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and chromium (total): Kansas’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 3, 2020 to Sept. 8, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Above the health goal2

Arsenic

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

2.2ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 1.6 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 2.2 ppb, in 2023: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 5.3 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its four samples averaged 1.6 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 5.4 ppb, in 2012.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the health goal

1.8ppb

90th percentile, 2024 to 2026

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.8 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

Below EPA’s limits5

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

9.0ppm

Highest sample; found in 47 of 54

2026 average: 5.3 ppm

The highest sample, in 2026, was 9.0 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its eight samples averaged 5.3 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 14 ppm, in 2018.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

31ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026, one sample: 28 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 31 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 28 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 35 ppb, in 2018.

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

Below EPA’s limits

11ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

Averaged by year, the highest was 11 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 13 ppb, in 2014.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

Fluoride

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

0.37ppm

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 0.36 ppm

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.37 ppm, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 0.53 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its four samples averaged 0.36 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.49 ppm, in 2012.

What handles it

Chromium (total)

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

4.3ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 0.6 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 4.3 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 5.6 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its four samples averaged 0.6 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.3 ppb, in 2017.

What handles it

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: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: Arsenic, Lead

    Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: Arsenic, Lead

    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

Compare five-year costs

The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked

The best water filters for lead, ranked

Hardness

Hard to very hard depending on the source, 140 to 430 mg/L (8.2 to 25.1 grains per gallon), across 5 sampling points, 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.

Softeners compared, salt includedSoftener or salt-free conditioner?Kansas water hardness, utility by utility

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 2 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Arsenic, nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and chromium (total) results here are Kansas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Washington Co RWD 1’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 Feb. 3, 2020 to Sept. 8, 2026.

Testing your own tap

Washington Co RWD 1’s results are for the water it sends out. What your own service line, solder and fixtures add shows up only in a test of your tap, by a lab Kansas certifies.

The 2 labs Kansas certifies closest to the area Washington Co RWD 1 serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • LandIntel Solutions, LLC

    Scandia, KS · about 49 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (785) 335-2054

  • Irwin Army Community Hospital-Water Laboratory-PH-EH

    Fort Riley, KS · about 53 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (785) 239-7516

All 47 certified labs for Kansas

Sources

PWSID KS2020107. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Towns it serves

Also in Washington County

All Kansas utilities

What to do next