Franklin Water Systems 3
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
- 201 people
- Connections
- 67
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Saint Louis, TX
- County
- Lubbock
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
2 results are above EPA’s legal limit, and 2 more are above the health goal. The worst: Chromium (total), above the legal limit. 124 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Chromium (total), nitrate, uranium, arsenic, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and total trihalomethanes (TTHM): Texas’s own results, samples taken from March 18, 2020 to Sept. 14, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit2
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
337ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 337 ppb, in 2026, about 3.4 times EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 346 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA recorded violations for chromium (total) at this utility in 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 18.8 ppb, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
18.6ppm
Highest sample; found in 99 of 99
2026 average: 11.6 ppm
From 2020 to 2026, at least 25 samples were above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, the highest 18.6 ppm in 2021. 25 have no follow-up sample on file within 30 days. In 2026, the latest year on file, its 15 samples averaged 11.6 ppm, above the limit. EPA recorded violations for nitrate at this utility in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 23.2 ppm, in 2012, and EPA recorded violations in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 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 health goal2
Uranium
Comes from the source
21.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025
2025, one sample: 14.5 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 21.5 ppb, in 2024: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 25.8 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 14.5 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 20.3 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Arsenic
Comes from the source
7.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025
2025, one sample: 5.4 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 7.0 ppb, in 2022: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 9.2 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 5.4 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 7.5 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”
Below EPA’s limits3
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
30.8ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 2.6 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 30.8 ppb, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 2.6 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 16 ppb, in 2014.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
1.9ppm
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
2025 average: 1.7 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.9 ppm, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2025, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 1.7 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.9 ppm, in 2019.
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
8.6ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 2.1 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 8.6 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 2.1 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 9.9 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
One compound tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- 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
Claims: Chromium Reduction, Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge), Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Chromium (total), Nitrate, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Chromium (Trivalent) Reduction; Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction, Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction, Uranium, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Chromium (total), Nitrate, Uranium, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Chromium (Trivalent) Reduction; Nitrate; 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: Chromium (total), Nitrate, Arsenic
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Chromium (total), Nitrate, 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: Chromium (total), Arsenic
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 58checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Chromium (total), Arsenic
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Chromium (total), Nitrate
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026 | 14 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026 | 14 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026 | 17 MG/L | Archived |
| Chromium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026 | 0.3 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026 | 12 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026 | 13 MG/L | Archived |
| Chromium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026 | 0.3 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | 13 MG/L | Resolved |
| Chromium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | 0.2 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | 11 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | 13 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Chromium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 0.2 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 16 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 14 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 13 MG/L | Archived |
| Chromium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 | 0.2 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 | 14 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 | 12 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 | 12 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2025 to March 31, 2025 | 11 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2025 to March 31, 2025 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2025 to March 31, 2025 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024 | 12 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024 | 12 MG/L | Resolved |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2024 | 16 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2024 | 14 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 | 13 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 | 16 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 | 13 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 | 16 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | 11 MG/L | Resolved |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | 17 MG/L | Archived |
| Chromium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | 0.2 MG/L | Resolved |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2023 | 15 MG/L | Archived |
| Nitrate | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2023 | 12 MG/L | Archived |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 201 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Chromium (total), nitrate, uranium, arsenic, haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride and total trihalomethanes (TTHM) results here are Texas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Franklin Water Systems 3’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 18, 2020 to Sept. 14, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The lab Texas certifies closest to the area Franklin Water Systems 3 serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins Xenco, LLC -Lubbock
Lubbock, TX · about 16 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 TX1520080. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 4 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Chromium (total)
- Get the utility’s own reportFranklin Water Systems 3 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