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City of Benjamin

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
235 people
Connections
191
Water source
Surface water bought from another system
Based in
Benjamin, TX
County
Knox
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

79505

The short answer

1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, 1 more is above the limit’s level with no violation recorded, and 3 more are above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate, above the legal limit. 27 health-based violations since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 1994 to 2025.

Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), uranium, arsenic, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and chromium (total): Texas’s own results, samples taken from March 17, 2020 to Aug. 25, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Above the legal limit1

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Above the legal limit

20ppm

Highest sample; found in 81 of 81

2026 average: 7.2 ppm

From 2020 to 2026, 22 samples were above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, the highest 20 ppm in 2021. 22 have no follow-up sample on file within 30 days. In 2026, the latest year on file, its nine samples averaged 7.2 ppm. EPA recorded violations for nitrate at this utility in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 19.7 ppm, in 2019, and EPA recorded violations in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

What handles it

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

Above the limit’s level, no violation recorded1

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Above the limit’s level, no violation

91.4ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 58.8 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 91.4 ppb, in 2025, above EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 109 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 58.8 ppb. EPA judges this limit on running averages at each sampling point, and recorded no violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility since 2020. Results like these with no violation often include water sampled before treatment or blending; the utility’s annual report says what reaches the tap. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 55.9 ppb, in 2012, and EPA recorded a violation in 2012.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”

Above the health goal3

Uranium

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

10.7ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024

2024, one sample: 10.3 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 10.7 ppb, in 2021: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. In 2024, the latest year on file, its one sample was 10.3 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 10.7 ppb, in 2018.

What handles it

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the health goal

4.3ppb

90th percentile, 2023 to 2025

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 4.3 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

Arsenic

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

2.8ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025

2025, one sample: 2.2 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 2.8 ppb, in 2024: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 2.2 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 4.0 ppb, in 2018.

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

Below EPA’s limits

36.6ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 27.1 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 36.6 ppb, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 46.3 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 27.1 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 14.2 ppb, in 2012.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

Fluoride

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

1.3ppm

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025

2025, one sample: 0.84 ppm

Averaged by year, the highest was 1.3 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.84 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.5 ppm, in 2018.

What handles it

Chromium (total)

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

5.0ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025

2025: not found

Averaged by year, the highest was 5.0 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. 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 2.5 ppb, in 2018.

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: Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge), Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction

    For: Nitrate, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead, Arsenic

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

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction, Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Uranium, Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction

    For: Nitrate, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Uranium, Lead, Arsenic

    Other certifiers’ wording: Nitrate; 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

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Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 202413 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 202411 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2024 to June 30, 202414 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 202417 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 202315 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 202317 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2023 to June 30, 202311 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2023 to June 30, 202316 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2023 to March 31, 202318 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 202219 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 202218 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2022 to June 30, 202216 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2022 to March 31, 202216 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 202114 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 202120 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2021 to June 30, 202116 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2021 to March 31, 202117 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 202016 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 202015 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2020 to June 30, 202016 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2020 to March 31, 202015.8 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 201916 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 201920 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 201919 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 201816 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 201815 MG/LResolved
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 201614 MG/LResolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 14 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), uranium, arsenic, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and chromium (total) results here are Texas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. City of Benjamin’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 March 17, 2020 to Aug. 25, 2026.

Testing your own tap

City of Benjamin’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 Texas certifies.

The lab Texas certifies closest to the area City of Benjamin serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Abilene–Taylor County Public Health District

    Abilene, TX · about 70 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (325) 692-5600

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 Texas

Sources

PWSID TX1380011. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Nearby

All Texas utilities

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