Gafford Chapel 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
- 1,680 people
- Connections
- 560
- Water source
- Surface water bought from another system
- Based in
- Sulphur Springs, TX
- County
- Hopkins
- Owner
- Local government
The short answer
1 result is above EPA’s legal limit. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), above the legal limit. 1 health-based violation since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total) and uranium: Texas’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 20, 2020 to July 16, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit1
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
57.9ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 53.4 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 57.9 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 99.9 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 53.4 ppb. EPA judges this limit at each sampling point, and recorded a violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility in 2025. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 70.5 ppb, in 2014, and EPA recorded a violation in 2014.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Below EPA’s limits3
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
1.8ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
2024 average: 1.6 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.8 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 2.4 ppm. In 2024, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 1.6 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.6 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
22.4ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 22.4 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 43.7 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 34.9 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.26ppm
Highest sample; found in 14 of 14
2026 average: 0.072 ppm
The highest sample, in 2021, was 0.26 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 0.072 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.1 ppm, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
4 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- 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
Claim: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction
For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Other certifiers’ wording: VOC Reduction
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claim: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction
For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
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 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)
Ninja HydraSense Countertop Water Filtration System (WF1001)
Countertop
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
PUR PLUS Faucet Filtration System, Horizontal (PFM400H)
Faucet mount
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Brita Elite Water Filter Faucet System (SAFF-100/FF-100)
Faucet mount
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 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 | 0.081 MG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 6 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total) and uranium results here are Texas’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Gafford Chapel 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. 20, 2020 to July 16, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Texas certifies closest to the area Gafford Chapel WSC serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Southern Petroleum Laboratories, Inc. - Plano
Plano, TX · about 56 miles
Certified for bacteria, lead and copper
Pace Analytical Services, LLC -Dallas TX
Allen, TX · about 57 miles
Certified for bacteria
Environmental Monitoring Lab
Winona, TX · about 57 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 TX1120014. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
- Get the utility’s own reportGafford Chapel 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