Your City’s Water Report Is Out. Here’s How to Actually Read It
Your city’s annual water report is available. It is usually called a Consumer Confidence Report, or CCR.
The report explains what your public water system tested for during the previous year. It also lists detected contaminants, testing results, legal limits, and any violations.
Do not read the report from the first page to the last page. Start with the water quality table. Then check the sections for PFAS, lead, chlorine, disinfection byproducts, and hardness.
This guide shows you what the numbers mean and when a home water test or Water Purification System may help.
Find Your Consumer Confidence Report
Community water systems provide an annual CCR to their customers. Start with these locations:
- Your city or water utility website
- Your utility bill or customer portal
- Your city’s public works department
- The EPA Consumer Confidence Report search tool
- The Texas Drinking Water Viewer
Search your utility name and the words “Consumer Confidence Report” or “water quality report.”
Your report may cover the previous calendar year. Check the report date before reviewing the results.
If you use a private well, your water is not covered by a city CCR. You must arrange your own testing.
Start With the Water Quality Table
Look for a section called:
- Water Quality Data
- Detected Contaminants
- Test Results
- Annual Water Quality Report
The table may include these columns:
| Column | What it means |
|---|---|
| Contaminant | The substance being tested |
| Amount detected | The measured level in the water |
| Range | The lowest and highest results |
| MCL or MRDL | The federal legal limit |
| Action level | The level that triggers additional requirements |
| Violation | Whether the utility exceeded a standard |
| Likely source | Where the contaminant may come from |
The terms can look technical. Focus on three questions:
- Was the contaminant detected?
- How does the result compare with the listed limit?
- Was there a violation or corrective action?
A result below a legal limit means the utility met that specific federal standard. It does not mean every home has identical water. Water can change as it travels through service lines, plumbing, fixtures, and water heaters.
PFAS: Check the Newest Information First
PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals used in products that resist water, oil, heat, and stains. PFOA and PFOS are two well-known PFAS compounds.
New federal requirements are adding PFAS monitoring and reporting information to water quality data. This means your latest report may contain more PFAS information than earlier reports.
Look for:
- PFOA
- PFOS
- PFAS
- GenX chemicals
- Hazard index
- Parts per trillion, or ppt
PFOA and PFOS may be reported in parts per trillion. Do not compare ppt directly with lead results, which are usually listed in parts per billion.
For current federal information, review the EPA’s Consumer Confidence Report guidance and its PFAS drinking water regulation information.
How to read a PFAS result
Use this process:
- Find the individual PFAS compounds listed.
- Record the result and the unit.
- Check whether the report lists a federal limit.
- Note whether the result was detected, not detected, or below the reporting level.
- Check the utility’s explanation and planned response.
A detectable result does not automatically mean you need a whole-home system. It does mean you should understand what was measured and where the water is used.
A point-of-use Reverse Osmosis system can reduce many dissolved contaminants, including PFAS, when the system is properly certified and maintained for that purpose. Check the manufacturer’s performance claims. Do not assume that every filter or every RO system removes every PFAS compound.
Lead: Do Not Skip the 90th Percentile
Lead often enters water through service lines, solder, faucets, and older plumbing. The treatment plant may produce compliant water, but water can still pick up lead inside or near a home.
Look for:
- Lead
- 90th percentile
- Parts per billion, or ppb
- Action level
- Corrosion control
The EPA action level for lead is commonly listed as 15 ppb. The 90th-percentile result represents the level at which 90 percent of sampled homes had the same or lower result.
A utility can meet the action level while individual homes still have different results. This is especially important if your home:
- Was built before 1986
- Has older plumbing
- Has lead service line concerns
- Has water that sits in the pipes for several hours
- Has children or pregnant household members
Request a home tap-water test if you have concerns. Use a laboratory or testing program that follows the proper sampling instructions.
A standard carbon filter is not automatically a lead filter. If lead is a concern, select a product specifically certified for lead reduction. A properly selected Reverse Osmosis system may also help at a drinking-water faucet, but it should be certified for the reduction claim you need.
Chlorine and Chloramine: Separate Disinfection From Taste
Utilities add disinfectants to control harmful microorganisms as water moves through the distribution system.
Your report may list:
- Free chlorine
- Chloramine
- Chlorine residual
- Maximum residual disinfectant level, or MRDL
A disinfectant result within the listed MRDL means the utility maintained the required disinfectant level. It does not mean the water will have no taste or odor.
If your water smells or tastes like chlorine, look for carbon filtration. Carbon filters can reduce chlorine and improve taste. They do not solve every water problem.
Some utilities use chloramine instead of free chlorine. The treatment approach affects which filter is appropriate. Ask for the actual disinfectant used by your utility before choosing a filter.
Disinfection Byproducts: Check TTHMs and HAA5
Disinfectants can react with naturally occurring material in source water. This can create disinfection byproducts.
Look for:
- Total trihalomethanes, or TTHMs
- Haloacetic acids, or HAA5
- Range of results
- Highest quarterly result
- MCL
- Violation status
Reports commonly list federal limits of:
- 80 ppb for TTHMs
- 60 ppb for HAA5
Read the result beside the limit. Then check whether the utility reported a violation.
A carbon filter may improve taste and reduce some organic compounds. Select a filter based on the specific contaminant claim. Replace cartridges on schedule.
Hardness: Important for Your Home, Usually Not a Health Violation
Hardness comes mainly from calcium and magnesium. Texas water is often hard or very hard, especially in areas affected by limestone and mineral-rich groundwater.
Hardness may be listed as:
- Parts per million, or ppm
- Milligrams per liter, or mg/L
- Grains per gallon, or GPG
- Calcium carbonate, or CaCO₃
Use this general guide:
- 0–60 ppm: soft
- 61–120 ppm: moderately hard
- 121–180 ppm: hard
- More than 180 ppm: very hard
Your CCR may not include hardness because it is not usually treated as a primary health standard. Check the report’s source-water section or ask your utility for the latest hardness information.
Hard water can cause:
- White scale on faucets and showerheads
- Spots on glassware
- Soap residue
- Dry-feeling skin
- Reduced water-heater efficiency
- Scale inside appliances and plumbing
A water softener addresses hardness throughout the home. A softener is different from a drinking-water filter. It protects plumbing, fixtures, appliances, laundry, and bathing water. It does not replace a PFAS, lead, or drinking-water treatment system.
When Should You Test Your Home Water?
A CCR shows the utility’s results. A home water test shows what comes from your own tap.
Consider testing if:
- Your home has older plumbing
- You use a private well
- You see a change in taste, color, or odor
- You have recurring sediment
- You are concerned about lead or PFAS
- You recently bought or renovated your home
- You want to confirm hardness before buying a softener
Test the water before choosing equipment when the problem is unclear. Use a qualified laboratory. Follow the collection instructions exactly.
A basic test may check hardness, pH, chlorine, iron, copper, lead, and bacteria. A broader test may include PFAS, arsenic, nitrates, or other contaminants based on your location and concerns.
Choosing the Right Water Treatment
Use your report and test results to match the solution to the problem.
Choose a water softener for hardness
Install a softener when hard water is causing scale, soap problems, appliance buildup, or dry-feeling skin.
Choose filtration for chlorine, sediment, and taste
A whole-home filtration system can reduce sediment and improve taste and odor at multiple fixtures. Confirm which contaminants the filter is designed to reduce.
Choose Reverse Osmosis for drinking water concerns
A point-of-use Reverse Osmosis system is installed at a kitchen faucet. It can reduce many dissolved solids and contaminants when the system is selected, certified, and maintained for the intended use.
It may be appropriate when you want:
- Drinking water with fewer dissolved contaminants
- Cooking water with improved taste
- Additional treatment for certain PFAS or lead concerns
- A dedicated source instead of bottled water
You may need more than one solution. A softener can handle hard water for the whole house. An RO system can provide additional treatment for drinking and cooking water.
Use Your Report Before You Buy
Do not buy a system based only on a general city rating or a sales claim.
Complete this checklist:
- Find your current CCR.
- Check the violation section.
- Review PFAS results and units.
- Check lead and the 90th-percentile result.
- Identify chlorine or chloramine use.
- Review TTHMs and HAA5.
- Find hardness information.
- Decide whether you need a home water test.
- Match equipment to the documented issue.
- Confirm filter certification and maintenance requirements.
Honest Water of Texas can help you review your water concerns and identify practical options. We provide straightforward assessments without high-pressure sales. We offer water softeners, filtration systems, and Reverse Osmosis solutions for Texas homes.
Visit https://hwotx.com to learn more about a Water Purification System for your home. You can also review our guide to water purification systems in Texas or our information about PFAS and Reverse Osmosis.
Start with your report. Test when needed. Choose treatment based on your actual water.