Cottonwood Hills Estates
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
- 303 people
- Connections
- 101
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Austin, TX
- County
- Tarrant
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate, above the health goal. 12 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Nitrate, uranium, fluoride, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), chromium (total) and arsenic: Texas’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 12, 2020 to Aug. 10, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal2
Nitrate
Comes from the source
11.4ppm
Highest sample; found in 18 of 18
2026 average: 5.5 ppm
One sample, in 2026, was above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, at 11.4 ppm. The next sample at the same point, within 30 days, brought the average back under the limit. 10 ppm is also EPA’s health goal. That was also the latest year on file, and its five samples averaged 5.5 ppm. EPA recorded no violation for nitrate at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 4.5 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Uranium
Comes from the source
6.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 6.2 ppb, in 2025: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 6.6 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 10.1 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Below EPA’s limits4
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.92ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.92 ppm, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 1.6 ppm. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.74 ppm, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
8.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
2025: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 8.7 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 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 16.6 ppb, in 2019.
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
1.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
2025: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.5 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 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 5.2 ppb, in 2019.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
0.55ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.55 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 1.1 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.1 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
2 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Lead
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
Claim: Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)
For: Nitrate
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction, Uranium
For: Nitrate, Uranium
Other certifiers’ wording: Nitrate
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
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
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: Nitrate
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019 | 16 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018 | 17 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2018 | 17 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018 | 16 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Radium (-226 and -228) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018 | 6.0 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Radium (-226 and -228) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018 | 6.0 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018 | 18 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Radium (-226 and -228) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2017 | 6.0 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2017 | 16 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2017 | 17 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Radium (-226 and -228) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2017 | 6.0 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Gross alpha radiation (excluding radon and uranium) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017 | 16 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 2 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Nitrate, uranium, fluoride, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), chromium (total) and arsenic results here are Texas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Cottonwood Hills Estates’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. 12, 2020 to Aug. 10, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Texas certifies closest to the area Cottonwood Hills Estates serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Tarrant County Public Health Laboratory
Fort Worth, TX · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria
Pace Analytical Services, LLC -Dallas TX
Fort Worth, TX · about 16 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eurofins Xenco, LLC -Dallas
Dallas, TX · about 35 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 TX2200045. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
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 Nitrate
- Get the utility’s own reportCottonwood Hills Estates 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