Arlington TX Water Quality Insights for Homeowners

You’re probably wondering if the $125+ million Arlington, Texas just spent improving their water infrastructure is paying dividends at your tap. 

Our team spent the last week on a deep dive into the current Arlington, TX water quality report. We supplemented that research with data about forever chemical levels in Arlington’s water treatment facilities from the most recent collection date. Then, we spoke to our Master Plumber located in Arlington about solutions to improve home water quality.

While Arlington’s water hardness is high, it’s lower than it was in 2022. Chloramine disinfectant levels are average compared to EPA standards, and forever chemical levels in local potable water are worth keeping a close eye on.

Want to ensure ideal drinking water in your home? Whole house water filter installation is proven to reduce contaminants in Texas water, and has a payback period of under 2 years.

{{whole-home-water-filtration="/services/whole-home-water-filtration"}}

​

Arlington Water Quality Grade for the Big 3

Results from the current Arlington, Texas Water Quality Report show signs of improvement compared to other Tarrant County cities. Water hardness is 5-10% lower than neighboring cities like Fort Worth and Mansfield.

Disinfectants and forever chemicals (PFAS) exist in average amounts in the public water supply — in particular, PFAS levels are worth watching. 2 samples taken in 2023 exceeded EPA guidelines (out of 54 samples).

If you're not familiar with Mother's "Big 3" water contaminants, read our simple guide to understanding DFW water reports.

Calcium

Hard minerals. KXII reports Texas has the 6th hardest water in America. While Arlington’s water is considered hard by USGS standards, its hard mineral average is lower than the previous year. 

Note: Our plumbers regularly perform on-site water hardness evaluations using a titration test. They regularly measure higher than the city’s numbers.

Chlorine

Chloramines (disinfectants). Chloramines are a type of disinfectant used to reduce microorganisms and bacteria from the public water supply. These disinfectants are a combination of chlorine and ammonia. 

The City of Arlington reports average levels of chloramines in drinking water. While they do meet the EPA’s goal level threshold, this figure should be tracked regularly by local residents.

PFAS

PFAS (forever chemicals). Fort Worth Report noted 2 samples from Arlington’s Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plant that barely exceeded the EPA’s limit for PFOS (one type of forever chemical) during 2023. 

Future PFAS testing of the Arlington water supply should be monitored closely.

This number is an average from both of Arlington, Texas’ water treatment plants. Samples were taken in November 2023.

PFAS Measurement is new: the EPA only recently finalized acceptable levels of PFAS chemicals and there is a 5-year implementation period before goal levels are introduced.

Arlington Has Hard Water, But It’s Slowly Improving

Arlington gets its source water from the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD). That means their source water comes from the same lakes, reservoirs and rivers as Fort Worth, Mansfield and the Trinity River Authority.

While local water hardness is high, levels of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) are decreasing. Arlington’s average water hardness was 5-6% lower than Fort Worth’s, despite both sourcing water from the TRWD.

Recent enhancements to Arlington’s public water filtration system may play a contributing role. Water is filtered through granular activated carbon (GAC) and two separate disinfectant tanks before entering storage.

Water Disinfectant Rates Are Acceptable — Barely

The downside to this two-stage disinfectant process is an elevated level of chloramines in the Arlington, TX water supply. 

Chloramines are comprised of chlorine and ammonia — and if you wouldn’t drink either of these, you certainly don’t want them in your faucets.

The CDC notes that prolonged exposure to chloramines can cause skin irritation and damage to the ears, nose and throat, as well as interference with kidney dialysis treatment.

Arlington’s average chloramine level is 3.7 — just under the EPA’s “high threshold” of 4. This number figures to stay elevated as long as the current water treatment system remains in place.

An Arlington master plumber warns about chloramines in your pipes

While chlorine-based disinfectants may benefit your water quality, they’re a growing problem for home plumbing systems in Arlington because of its dual-process disinfection.

We spoke to Josh Dudley, our Master Plumber who lives in Arlington, Texas. He shed light on the damage these disinfectants cause to your pipes.

“Any kind of harsh chemical that’s used to kill bacteria in the water is going to be harsh on anything plastic or rubber in your plumbing system,” Josh explained. “That includes your gaskets, O-rings, faucets and toilets.”

Reduce chloramine levels in your water with a home filtration system — you’ll eliminate harsh chemicals before they reach your indoor plumbing.

Arlington’s Water Poses Real Forever Chemical Questions

Forever chemicals (also known as PFAS) are found in firefighting foam, Teflon, electronics — and your water.

PFAS are a massive problem in Tarrant County. Fort Worth recently filed a $420 million lawsuit against the Department of Defense, 3M and DuPont for forever chemicals in their water supply. 

That’s happening just 15 miles from your house — and its effects are felt here as well.

2 samples taken from Pierce Burch Water Treatment Plant in 2023 exceeded EPA standards for PFAS. While it was only 2 samples, forever chemicals were found in smaller quantities in all other tests taken that year.

While the City of Arlington has shown an aggressive investment in its water infrastructure, there’s real cause for concern about the threats posed by forever chemicals in your water.

Arlington’s Aggressive Investment in Water Quality

Arlington has shown an aggressive commitment to water quality, investing nearly $130M in filtration and testing innovations,

This allows the city to stay ahead of its projected population curve and growing public water demands.

Advanced water testing facilities on Route 287

The city opened a new Laboratory Services and Maintenance Building on Route 287 in August 2024. This nearly 27,000 square-foot building neighbors the John F. Kubala Water Treatment Plant in southwest Arlington.

Arlington invested $12.3 million in the new laboratory, which has an aggressive testing regimen. In 2023, the facility analyzed 7,305 samples.

The maintenance department housed within the building oversees the city’s water towers, treatment plants and wastewater stations.

New Pierce Burch clear wells are set to pay dividends

Two new underground clear wells are set to be built at Pierce Burch Water Treatment Plant. The city of Arlington recently earmarked $122.5 million for the project. 

These wells will store 8 million gallons of finished water that’s completed local purification and treatment processes. This will upgrade Pierce Burch’s overall water storage capacity to 83 million gallons — 133% of Arlington’s peak daily water usage in summer.

How to Improve Arlington, Texas Water Quality at Home: Your 3-Step Plan

The overall water quality in Arlington is pretty good, but not perfect. While water hardness is slightly lower than in neighboring cities, it’s still high vs. the rest of America.

There are still lingering concerns about disinfectant and forever chemical levels in your water supply. And once that water reaches your property line, cleaning it becomes your problem.

“Everything past the city water meter is always the homeowner’s responsibility,” Josh Dudley says. “The water line leading to the house after the city meter, and the sewer line exiting the house — anything from your front yard up to the edge of your street or sidewalk.”

Proactive homeowners can ensure clean water in their taps and faucets with a simple 3-step plan:

1. Schedule a home water quality test
2. Create an annual water quality inspection plan
3. Install a whole house water filtration system

This plan’s strategic focus is on eliminating chemical disinfectants and PFAS from your water supply.

Schedule an Arlington, TX home water quality test

Call Mother Modern Plumbing for a home water quality test. Let us know that your primary concerns are testing for forever chemicals and chloramines, but you’d also like to reduce hard water issues.

If we find either of them in your tap water, our expert DFW plumbers have multiple customized treatment solutions for your home:

• Whole house water filters for chlorine, lead, rust and forever chemicals (PFAS)
• Whole home water softeners for hard minerals and limescale
• Water conditioner systems for chlorine, chloramines, VOCs and heavy metals.

Create an annual water quality inspection plan

Work with your Arlington, Texas plumber to create an annual water quality inspection plan. Membership in The Pipeline club offers fantastic value towards these goals:

• One pre-scheduled annual water heater flush
• $200 annual drain cleaning coupon
• Free freshwater and sewer water leak detection test
• Guaranteed appointments within 24 hours, Monday-Friday
• 16% off all plumbing service calls
• Zero dispatch fees

All this, plus routine health scans of your home’s water supply.

Install a whole house water filtration system in Arlington, TX

It’s hard to know exactly how dangerous local PFAS levels are in Arlington’s water supply. We’ll know more as the EPA evolves and sets its guidelines — until then, homeowners need a plan to take these forever chemicals out of their homes.

Eliminate PFAS and other water contaminants before they enter your household with a whole house water filter. Our Master Plumber believes it’s the most effective home solution for improving water quality in our area.

“Besides filtration, there’s not any kind of at-home remedies for improving water quality,” Josh Dudley explains. “You have to take the chemicals or hardness out of the water by some sort of filter or softening — there’s no other quick fixes for city water.”

The best part: home water filtration saves the average homeowner $1,550 per year on plumbing repairs, improved appliance efficiency and reduced soap and detergent costs. The average payback period for a whole house water filter is under 2 years.

Ask Mother Modern Plumbing about the right whole house water filtration system for your Arlington home. Your city’s already investing in better water — let’s clean it up for good.

{{whole-home-water-filtration="/services/whole-home-water-filtration"}}

​