Central Washington County WSC
What EPA’s and Texas’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
- 2,270 people
- Connections
- 980
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Brenham, TX
- County
- Washington
- Owner
- Local government
The short answer
1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, and 1 more is above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), above the legal limit. 14 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), arsenic, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, chromium (total) and uranium: Texas’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 10, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit1
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
81.3ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 38 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 81.3 ppb, in 2023, above EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 121 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 38 ppb. EPA recorded violations for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 69.4 ppb, in 2015, and EPA recorded a violation in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Above the health goal1
Arsenic
Comes from the source
5.3ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025
2025: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 5.3 ppb, in 2021: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. In 2025, 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 7.9 ppb, in 2015.
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 limits3
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
12.6ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 7.8 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 12.6 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 21.2 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 7.8 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 12.1 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.46ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.46 ppm, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 0.52 ppm. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.53 ppm, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.41ppm
Highest sample; found in 12 of 14
2026: not found
The highest sample, in 2022, was 0.41 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in any of its two samples. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.37 ppm, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Chromium (total)
- Lead
- Uranium
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: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: VOC Reduction; Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)
At the tap, or for the whole house?
These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. 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: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), 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: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Arsenic
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Arsenic
Aquasana Clean Water Machine (AQ-CWM2)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Brita Hub Countertop Water Filter System (87340)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 0.082 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 | 0.085 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 | 0.084 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | 0.087 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2023 | 0.083 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023 | 0.081 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023 | 0.084 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022 | 0.084 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2022 | 0.083 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022 | 0.095 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022 | 0.088 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021 | 0.085 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 | 0.081 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016 | 0.081 MG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 7 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), arsenic, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, chromium (total) and uranium results here are Texas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Central Washington County WSC’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; Texas’s results run from Feb. 10, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Texas certifies closest to the area Central Washington County WSC serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Aqua-Tech Laboratories, Inc.
Bryan, TX · about 33 miles
Certified for bacteria, lead and copper
R&C Joy, Inc.
Katy, TX · about 52 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eurofins EMLab P&K – Houston
Houston, TX · about 60 miles
Certified for bacteria
Texas Well Owner Network, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Well Informed screening events, where well owners bring in water samples to be screened for common contaminants, followed by an hour-long session explaining the results. Upcoming events are on the network's calendar. Trainings, Texas Well Owner Network.
All 80 certified labs for TexasSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Drinking Water Viewer, results from Jan. 7, 2020 to Oct. 6, 2026, read Oct. 16, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: TCEQ, drinking water laboratories approved for public water system samples, read Oct. 10, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID TX2390055. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
Towns it serves
Also in Washington County
- City of Brenham18,469
- Northeast Washington County3,219
- Chappell Hill WSC645
- Oak Hill FWSD 1445
- City of Burton315
- Gun & Rod Estates219
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 Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
- Get the utility’s own reportCentral Washington County WSC 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