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August brings thousands of new residents to College Station for the start of the school year. Coincidentally, August is also National Water Quality Month, making it the ideal time for new and long-time residents to take a closer look at our local water supply.
People often ask us the same few questions about College Station's water:
- Why is our water so soft?
- Why does it sometimes smell like chlorine?
- Should I worry about lead in my tap water?
- Does the City add fluoride?
- What about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) ?
You can find answers to these questions in the City of College Station’s annual Drinking Water Quality Report (also called the Consumer Confidence Report). Released by July 1 each year, the report shows exactly how our water measures up against federal and state standards.
What's in the Report?
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, public water systems have been required to publish these reports for over 20 years. The report outlines where our water comes from, how it's treated, and what contaminants might be present.
Pro Tip: A water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, so anything other than “water” in water is a contaminant.
Here is a quick look at what you’ll find inside:
- Where our water originates: Our supply is pumped from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, primarily out of the Simsboro formation.
- Testing results (Pages 6 and 8): Tables cover coliform bacteria, disinfectant levels, organic/inorganic contaminants, and lead and copper test results. We added a straightforward "Yes/No" column for regulatory violations — and a quick check shows we had no violations again this year.
- Service lines and lead monitoring (Page 7): Details our ongoing work identifying service line materials and tracking lead and copper tap tests.
- Secondary constituents (Page 9): Answers routine questions about water softness, sodium content, and pH. These secondary substances affect aesthetic qualities like taste and smell but aren't health hazards.
Daily Monitoring Behind the Scenes
Our Water Services team works around the clock to keep our water clean and reliable, collecting and testing more than 110 samples every month across the city. We count on tap water every day for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. Yet, we rarely get this level of transparency for other household goods or bottled water.
The bottom line from this year’s report is simple: College Station continues to maintain an excellent record of safety and compliance. Our operators live and work here, too – so keeping our community's water safe is as personal to us as it is to you.
About the Blogger
Water Resource Coordinator Jennifer Nations leads the City’s public outreach and conservation efforts. She represents municipal water interests on the Brazos G Regional Water Planning Group and chairs the Conservation Committee for the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association. A California native, Jennifer holds a bachelor's degree in environmental and resource science from UC Davis and a master's degree in water management and hydrologic science from Texas A&M.
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