Georgetown Water Notice 2026 Explained: What it Means for Your Home and Family

You recently received a letter from the City of Georgetown for “maximum contaminant level violation: TTHMs.” Then another notice showed up about water system maintenance beginning in August.

So what do these notices actually mean? Is the water safe to drink? And is there anything you should be doing at home?

We have been in business since 1984. Our plumbers work in these neighborhoods every day, and we cut open enough water heaters to see exactly what Central Texas water does over time. Here is the plain-English version of both notices from people who work on the receiving end of the water system.

Notice one: the TTHM violation

This is the notice with the more concerning language, and it is the more important of the two to understand.

TCEQ notified the City of Georgetown that water delivered to an area west of US 183 exceeded the federal limit for total trihalomethanes. The limit is 0.080 mg/L. Georgetown’s compliance number came in at 0.081 mg/L.

That is one thousandth over the limit, which does not sound like much. But that number does not tell the whole story.

The 0.081 result is a four-quarter running average. It combines four separate test results into one compliance number. The individual sample from the fourth quarter of 2025 was 0.127 mg/L, which was about 59 percent above the federal limit for that quarter.

The averaging process is how water systems are required to report compliance. Still, a homeowner looking at the notice should understand that one of the quarterly readings was considerably higher than the final annual average.

The city says the increase followed the July 4, 2025, flood. Floodwater carried a large amount of leaves, soil, and other organic material into the lake feeding the water system. When chlorine reacts with organic material during the treatment process, trihalomethanes can form.

The treatment plant has to respond to whatever enters the source water. A major flood can change that water chemistry quickly.

The city says there are no immediate health effects and that residents do not need to take emergency action. That is accurate. The concern behind the federal TTHM limit is long-term exposure, not an illness that would normally happen after drinking one glass of water.

The required warning discusses potential effects involving the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, along with an increased cancer risk after exposure above the limit over many years.

Both statements can be true. This is not an immediate water emergency, but that does not mean long-term exposure to elevated disinfection byproducts should be ignored.

Notice two: the August system maintenance

This notice is about something different. It is routine maintenance, although it will probably cause more noticeable changes at your faucets.

From Aug. 3 through Sept. 3, 2026, Georgetown will temporarily stop using chloramine and switch to free chlorine throughout the water system.

Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia. It stays active longer as water travels through miles of pipe, which is why many municipal systems use it during normal operations.

Once a year, the city removes the ammonia and uses free chlorine. Free chlorine is a stronger short-term disinfectant that helps clean the distribution system and control buildup inside the mains. TCEQ recommends this type of maintenance, and utilities throughout the country use it.

The original start date was July 8. Georgetown moved the maintenance period, and the reason matters if you live outside the city limits.

Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park, and Liberty Hill scheduled similar chlorine rinses for the same Aug. 3 through Sept. 3 window. Georgetown changed its schedule to keep the connected systems coordinated.

If you live in any of those five cities, you may notice changes in your water during the same period.

What you may notice includes a stronger swimming pool smell beginning around Aug. 3 or 4, a different taste in coffee or ice, temporary brown or green discoloration, hydrants flushing in your neighborhood, and brief changes in water pressure.

Three groups need to take specific precautions during the switch: dialysis patients and dialysis centers, aquarium owners, and pool owners.

Aquarium owners need to pay close attention because products used to treat chloramine are not always the same as products used for free chlorine. Follow the instructions from the city and use a treatment product that covers the disinfectant currently being used.

Here is where the two notices overlap from a water chemistry standpoint. Free chlorine can react with naturally occurring organic material and form trihalomethanes, which are the same disinfection byproducts discussed in the first notice.

That does not mean the August rinse will automatically create another violation. It does explain why treatment methods, organic matter, flushing, and ongoing testing all matter.

Can you trust that it is safe to drink?

The city is giving residents the information it is required to provide. The important part is understanding exactly what that information means.

When a utility says the water meets federal standards, it means the results comply with the legal limits established for regulated contaminants.

That does not mean the water contains nothing but water. Municipal testing commonly detects minerals, treatment byproducts, and trace contaminants at levels below legal limits. Some substances do not have an established federal drinking water limit at all.

An independent study of Georgetown’s utility testing data lists 39 detected contaminants, with 17 reported above the health-based guidelines used by the organization compiling the report.

Contaminant	Detected	Federal legal limit
Haloacetic acids (HAA9)	26.5 ppb	None
Total trihalomethanes	37.1 ppb	80 ppb
Dibromochloromethane	12.8 ppb	None
Bromodichloromethane	9.84 ppb	None
Chlorate	358.8 ppb	None
Chromium (hexavalent)	0.203 ppb	None
Cyanide	86.3 ppb	200 ppb
PFOA and PFOS	detected	4 ppt each

Most of these were never regulated. A utility cannot violate a standard nobody wrote. Hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen. It is the chemical PG&E dumped into unlined ponds at Hinkley, California, which contaminated the town’s groundwater and ended in a $333 million settlement in 1996, the case the Erin Brockovich movie was based on. Thirty years later there is still no federal drinking water limit for it. The federal limits that do exist have not been meaningfully updated in almost twenty years.

Legal means the paperwork is clean. It does not mean the water is clean.

What this does to your body

Skin and hair conditions suffer. Chlorine strips the natural oils off skin and hair. That is the tight, itchy feeling after a shower and the hair that will not hold moisture. If anyone in the house has eczema or sensitive skin, chlorinated hard water makes it worse. It has the potential to get noticeably worse during the August rinse.

You breathe it in the shower. This is the one almost nobody really considers. Trihalomethanes are volatile. Hot water in a closed bathroom puts them in the air and you inhale them for ten minutes straight which can increase your risk of cancer. That is a real exposure route and it has nothing to do with drinking. A pitcher in the fridge does not benefit you in the bathroom.

Disinfection byproducts are a long game. Research links trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids to increased cancer risk and to problems during pregnancy. Nobody gets sick overnight as that is not how these compounds work. It’s constant exposure over time that is the issue.

Chlorate affects the thyroid. Georgetown tested at 358.8 ppb against a health guideline of 210 ppb, with no legal limit. Thyroid effects matter most during pregnancy and early childhood.

PFAS do not leave. These chemicals accumulate forever in tissue and do not break down. Research associates them with cancer, endocrine disruption, liver damage, immune effects, and thyroid changes. Every glass adds to a total that never comes back down.

Nitrate can cause infant issues. Elevated nitrate interferes with oxygen delivery in babies. If you mix formula with tap water, nitrates are important to test for. Experts say that preventing nitrate contamination at the source is more effective than treating it.

What this does to your house

If you want to know what your water is doing, look inside a six year old water heater. We do, constantly.

Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Liberty Hill all sit on limestone. Water here routinely tests in the mid 20s grains per gallon. Anything over 10.5 is classified very hard. We are running roughly double that.

Your water heater is failing right now. Scale plates onto the elements and build a mineral bed across the tank bottom. The burner has to heat through that layer to get to the water above it. You pay more every month for less hot water and the tank dies years early. That popping and rumbling is scale. We replace water heaters in this county that should have had five good years left.

Tankless units scale faster. Narrow heat exchanger passages close up, flow drops, and the unit starts throwing codes. Untreated in this water, they need descaling on a tight schedule or the warranty conversation gets unpleasant.

Pipes narrow from the inside. Scale builds a little at a time. Nobody notices until two fixtures cannot run at once.

Fixtures fail early. Aerators crust shut. Shower heads spray sideways. Cartridges and valve seats grind against mineral grit. Toilet flappers stop sealing.

Appliances follow. Dishwashers film your glassware. Washers need more detergent for worse results. Ice makers gum up.

Chlorine eats rubber. Every gasket, washer, seal, and flex connector in your house sits in chlorinated water. Chlorine degrades rubber over time. That is a quiet, steady cause of leaks that gets blamed on age.

What August may send into your home’s water

Our Georgetown plumbers see many of the same calls whenever utilities begin major flushing and maintenance.

Hydrant flushing increases water movement through the mains. That can loosen sediment that was already sitting inside the public water system and carry it toward nearby homes.

During this period, homeowners may notice cloudy water that takes longer to clear, faucet aerators packed with grit, clogged appliance inlet screens, reduced fixture flow, or new noises from the water heater.

The flushing process did not necessarily create the sediment. It may simply move material that was already present.

If your water becomes discolored, run cold water from a bathtub or outdoor faucet until it clears. Avoid washing light-colored clothing until the water looks normal again.

If the water does not clear or pressure remains low, contact the water company.

What filtration and softening actually fix

Treated where water enters the house, so every shower and every appliance gets it. Not one pitcher in the refrigerator.

1. Sediment filtration catches the grit August is about to send you. This is what saves your aerators, valves, and appliance screens.
2. Activated carbon is the stage that matters most here. It is the recognized technology for reducing chlorine, chloramine, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, and PFAS. It handles the shower vapor problem and the skin problem. 
3. Water softening handles the calcium and magnesium killing your water heater and your fixtures. We install softeners as well as filtration, and they go in together on the same visit.
4. Reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap covers what carbon does not fully reach, including hexavalent chromium and nitrate, for drinking and cooking water.

Most homes in this area need a combination based on their specific water concerns. Which combination depends on your test results. We can install filtration and softening during the same project, which prevents homeowners from having to coordinate multiple companies or redo plumbing connections later.

Filters need replacement, and softeners need salt and routine maintenance. A system that is not maintained will eventually stop performing the way it should.

We explain the maintenance schedule, replacement costs, and upkeep before installation, not after.

Why call us for water filtration and softening in Georgetown

Quality Cooling, Heating & Plumbing is family owned and has served Central Texas for years. Our plumbers work on these water systems, in these neighborhoods, and in the same limestone conditions your house is dealing with.

We test your water first and listen to your concerns

If testing or further evaluation is appropriate, we explain what the results mean and recommend equipment based on the actual problem.

If you do not need a specific filtration stage, we will tell you.

Licensed plumbers handle the installation

A whole-home system connects directly to the main water supply. It needs the correct bypass, shutoff valves, drain routing, backflow protection, and plumbing connections. Permits may also be required depending on the installation.

This is part of your plumbing system, not a countertop appliance you plug into the wall.

We can also address related plumbing problems during the same visit, including water heater scale, damaged valves, sediment-clogged fixtures, and problems that become noticeable during the annual rinse.

One local company for all of it

Because we handle both plumbing and water treatment, you do not have to coordinate with multiple contractors. We can test the water, recommend the right combination of filtration and softening, install the equipment, and address related issues such as scale buildup, sediment-clogged fixtures, or water heater problems during the same visit. We also offer financing options for those who qualify. Call us today at (512) 910-3531

Our service area includes Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Liberty Hill, and surrounding Williamson County. All of the areas dealing with these notices and water conditions.

Georgetown Water Quality FAQs

What is the difference between the two notices I got? 

The first notice was a maximum contaminant level violation involving TTHMs. The running annual average at one Georgetown testing location west of US 183 exceeded the federal limit. The second notice is about routine annual maintenance. Georgetown will use free chlorine from Aug. 3 through Sept. 3, 2026. They are two separate notices about two different issues.

Is Georgetown’s water safe to drink? 

It will not make you sick today. It is disinfected, it is tested, it is legal, and nobody in this county needs to run out for bottled water.

The key word though is “today.” Testing shows 39 contaminants in Georgetown water and 17 above independent health guidelines, several that the federal government does not regulate at all. Those compounds are not a problem today. They are a twenty year problem, and they add up through showers, coffee, ice, swimming in your pool, water you cook with, and everything your kids drink.

So while it may meet the legal standard of “safe to drink” it’s definitely worth filtering to help reduce long term lasting effects.

What does the TTHM violation actually mean? 

The four-quarter running average at one sampling point reached 0.081 mg/L. The federal maximum contaminant level is 0.080 mg/L. The fourth-quarter 2025 sample measured 0.127 mg/L on its own. The two most recent quarterly readings were below the federal limit.

If the water is within the legal limits, why should I care? 

Federal limits have not been meaningfully updated in almost twenty years, and most of what was detected in Georgetown water is not federally regulated at all. You may still want to reduce chlorine taste and odor, disinfection byproducts, sediment, PFAS, hard water minerals, or other substances before the water reaches your family and plumbing system.

Why does my water smell like a pool? 

Georgetown will use free chlorine instead of chloramine from Aug. 3 through Sept. 3, 2026. Free chlorine has a stronger and more noticeable odor. Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park, and Liberty Hill are following the same maintenance schedule.

Does a water filter remove trihalomethanes? 

Our activated carbon systems provide the standard technology for reducing TTHMs and haloacetic acids. Review with your plumber the NSF/ANSI 53 certification. Reverse osmosis adds coverage for what carbon does not fully reach.

Will a filter fix my hard water? 

Not by itself. Filtration and softening are different jobs. Carbon filtration can reduce chlorine, odors, and certain disinfection byproducts. A softener removes the calcium and magnesium responsible for scale. Many Georgetown-area homes benefit from both, and installing them together may cost less than adding a second system later.

How much does water filtration and softening systems cost? 

The cost depends on your water concerns, household size, required flow rate, plumbing configuration, and the type of equipment being installed. We provide a firm price before work begins. Financing options are available.

Find out what is in your water today

The TTHM violation may eventually fall off the annual compliance calculation as newer test results replace the higher 2025 readings. The free chlorine rinse ends on Sept. 3.

Your home will still have the same plumbing, water heater, fixtures, water usage, and hard water conditions after both notices are over.

Call Quality Cooling, Heating & Plumbing in Georgetown today at (512) 910-3531. We will look at the water concerns in your home, explain the available treatment options, and give you a clear price.