Water quality · New Braunfels
What's in New Braunfels water, by the numbers
New Braunfels tap water is safe to drink, rated Superior by TCEQ, and reported no violations in NBU's latest annual report. It's also very hard, roughly 16 to 17 grains per gallon at most treatment entry points in state compliance samples, with a disinfectant residual on the stronger side. Here are the numbers, with sources.
Looking for service instead of data? Water treatment in New Braunfels
The headline numbers
Very hard, river-fed, and growing fast
These come from NBU's own Water Quality Report and TCEQ's compliance sampling records for the system.
16gpg
Typical hardness at most entry points (16 to 17 range)
TCEQ, 2025
406mg/L
Highest recent state sample (as CaCO₃)
TCEQ, 2025
2.58ppm
Average total chlorine residual at the tap
2025 CCR
3
Main sources: the Guadalupe River plus Edwards and Trinity wells
2025 CCR
The Water Quality Association calls anything over 10.5 gpg (180 mg/L) “very hard,” the top of its scale. Every recent state sample for the NBU system lands at or past that line.
Where the water comes from
Most New Braunfels homes are served by New Braunfels Utilities. The majority of the water is Guadalupe River water treated at the Gruene Road surface water plant, blended with groundwater from Edwards and Trinity aquifer wells. NBU also buys water from Green Valley SUD and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority as needed, and it's expanding the river plant to keep up with growth.
One detail worth knowing when you shop for filtration. NBU's report lists its residual as total chlorine, and local reporting says the system uses chloramine, which is chlorine bonded with ammonia. Chloramine needs a specific media, catalytic carbon, to remove well. Confirming what's actually in your water is part of the free test.
One caveat: some addresses in and around New Braunfels are served by other utilities, like Crystal Clear WSC to the northeast, Canyon Lake Water Service out FM 306, Springs Hill WSC toward Seguin, or Green Valley SUD to the southeast. Your water bill says which system is yours, and the free test works the same either way.
From the reports
Notable readings, next to their limits
A CCR lists everything detected. These are the entries homeowners ask about, from NBU's 2025 report.
| Substance | Reported | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | 2.6 ppm (highest) | 10 ppm (MCL) | Within limit |
| Fluoride | 0.49 ppm | 4 ppm (MCL) | Within limit |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | 79 ppb (highest running average) | 80 ppb (MCL) | Within limit |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | 31 ppb (highest running average) | 60 ppb (MCL) | Within limit |
| Lead (90th percentile, 2023–2025) | 1.7 ppb | 15 ppb (action level) | Within limit |
| Copper (90th percentile, 2023–2025) | 0.14 ppm | 1.3 ppm (action level) | Within limit |
NBU's 2025 report shows no violations of any kind. The 2024 report shows one paperwork item, a routine disinfection byproduct test that was missed one month and disclosed. It's worth watching that the highest trihalomethane running average came in at 79 ppb against an 80 ppb limit, within the rules but without much room, which is common for systems that treat river water.
On PFAS, see the dedicated numbers and sources below. Short version: NBU's 2024 federal sampling found no PFOA or PFOS.
PFAS and nitrate
What the testing shows for PFAS and nitrate
These are the two contaminants homeowners ask us about most. Here's what NBU's own testing found, and what the numbers mean.
Nitrate is regulated because too much of it is genuinely dangerous, specifically for infants. The EPA's limit is 10 milligrams per liter, in place since 1992, and it's tied to a real health outcome: water above that level can cause blue baby syndrome in infants under six months who drink formula mixed with it. It isn't a concern for anyone else. New Braunfels's highest recent reading, 2.6 ppm, is well under a fifth of the limit.
PFAS, often called forever chemicals, are a newer and less settled story. They're manufactured compounds used for decades in things like nonstick coatings and firefighting foam, and they break down very slowly. The EPA set its first enforceable drinking water limits for six of them in 2024, 4 parts per trillion each for PFOA and PFOS, the two studied longest. Those numbers have moved before: EPA's health guidance for PFOA and PFOS was 70 parts per trillion in 2016 and near zero by 2022, tightening as more research came in. NBU's required testing found no PFOA or PFOS at any sampling point. Four other compounds turned up in trace amounts, all well under any applicable limit. Nobody can promise trace amounts below today's limits are completely harmless, because the science on PFAS is still being written. That's a fair reason to want extra filtering even where the water passes every current test, and a fair reason not to. We wrote up what actually removes PFAS if you want the honest version.
Which numbers are about safety, and which aren't
The table above is the safety layer. It covers regulated substances with legal limits, monitored constantly and publicly reported. That system works, and New Braunfels water passes it with a Superior rating from the state.
Hardness and chlorine taste live in a different category. The EPA doesn't set health limits for them because they aren't health problems. They're quality-of-life items. In fact, NBU's recent reports don't publish a hardness number at all, so the figures up top come from TCEQ's own sampling of the treated water. They're also what you actually notice every day, and what treatment exists to fix. The safety layer stays the utility's job either way.
One question we hear a lot
Does New Braunfels water have PFAS?
NBU's required federal testing in 2024 found no PFOA or PFOS, the two PFAS compounds with the strictest federal limits. Four other compounds, PFHxS, PFHxA, PFPeA, and PFBA, showed up in trace amounts, all well under any applicable limit. NBU's own water quality report and EPA's public testing data agree.
What a free test adds to NBU's report
NBU's reports don't publish hardness or TDS, and the state samples that do exist show real differences from one entry point to another, from about 180 to over 400 mg/L. Your house is one tap at the end of one path through that system. The free in-home test measures hardness, chlorine, iron, and TDS at your own tap, and you keep the results.
Book the free testSources
- NBU 2025 Water Quality Report (CCR)
- NBU 2024 Water Quality Report (CCR)
- NBU water supply portfolio
- TCEQ Drinking Water Viewer (system TX0460001)
- Water Quality Association: hardness and scale deposits
- EPA: PFAS national drinking water regulation
- EPA UCMR5 PFAS testing data finder
- EPA: Table of Regulated Drinking Water Contaminants (nitrate)
Figures reflect the most recent official reports at the time of writing. CCRs update annually.
Get your tap's own numbers
The free test takes about 30 minutes at your kitchen sink. We measure hardness, chlorine, iron, and TDS, and we explain every number in plain English. The utility tests the system, and we test your house.
What you get
- Hardness, chlorine, iron, and TDS tested at your tap
- Results explained in plain English, yours to keep
- A recommendation sized to your home (only if you want one)