Is Dodge City, KS tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Dodge City · serves 27,104 people (9,881 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID KS2005710
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 6.7 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 166 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level0 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jan 2023. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jan 2023. What to do if you get a notice.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Nitrate is most harmful to babies under 6 months, and boiling concentrates it. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Dodge City's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (620) 225-8170. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 15 entry points tested Mar 2024 to May 2026. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.7 ppt 1.68× the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.5 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 98% of the Kansas systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 2 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 30 of 30 samples. Highest result 166 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2.8 ppb (Dec 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 1.9 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 2.8 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 1.6 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 1.7 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 1.9 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Dec 1997 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 1993 – Jun 1993 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 3 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 | The running annual average for Nitrate was above the legal limit. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Nitrate · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 11 mg/l (limit 10 mg/L) Resolved |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 300 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 17.1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 4.7 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 1 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 2.05 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Dodge City
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 67801
Nearby utilities
- City of Great Bend Great Bend · 78 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Wichita Wichita · 146 mi
- Frusi Water Treatment Plant Fort Riley · 198 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Manhattan Manhattan · 211 mi
- City of Topeka Topeka · 252 mi
- City of Lawrence Lawrence · 272 mi
Questions
Is Dodge City tap water safe to drink?
Most of Dodge City gets its water from City of Dodge City. City of Dodge City had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Dodge City water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Dodge City found 2 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 6.7 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Dodge City water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Dodge City is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for KS2005710: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID KS2005710).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Dodge City at (620) 225-8170, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.