Expert Tips for Improving Dallas Water Quality

Dallas residents use 380 million gallons of water every day. Dallas water quality is a major issue due to the presence of hard minerals, lead and PFAS (forever chemicals) in the public water system.

We spoke to the team at WaterTech, a water filtration company that's operated in Dallas since 2010. They provided helpful tips for improving your home's water quality by removing calcium carbonate, lead and other contaminants.

Mother Modern Plumbing trusts WaterTech as a leading innovator in water filtration. We are trained and licensed to install their water filter, water softener and water conditioner systems throughout Dallas and Tarrant County.

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Are Dallas Tap Water Sources Clean?

According to DWU, Dallas tap water comes from 6 primary sources:

1. The Elm Fork of Trinity River
2. Lake Ray Roberts
3. Lake Ray Hubbard
4. Lake Lewisville
5. Lake Grapevine
6. Lake Tawakoni

Since 2000, several major contamination events have occurred in these areas. Most notably, a gasoline spill contaminated the water supply in Lake Tawakoni. This led to the creation of the Lake Ray Hubbard emergency pipeline.

Updated Dallas Water Quality Report

A recent report from Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) notes that as local water ”travels over the surface of the land, it dissolves and carries naturally occurring minerals and can be polluted by animals or human activity".

To its credit, DWU maintains adequate standards for environmental quality and safe drinking water. DWU also participates in the Partnership for Safe Water, an Environmental Protection Agency program to reduce exposure to microorganisms and water contaminants in the city water supply.

However, current public water safety practices do not eliminate all potential contaminants and hard minerals from your water.

Some Dallas water concerns are the homeowner's problem

“Without proper precautions, water can be contaminated if a sudden pressure drop in the pipes causes contaminated water to be pulled from your home or yard into your plumbing,” the DWU states.

In simple terms: Once the water supply reaches your property line, the quality of your tap water is your responsibility.

If you have old galvanized or lead pipes, hard mineral deposits or PFAS in your main line, no amount of city water treatment helps.

Current Issues Affecting Dallas Water Quality

Even water filtration experts like Bryce Linton, the President of WaterTech, aren't immune to Dallas water quality issues.

“I just got this letter from Dallas that I've got lead,” Bryce told us. “What is going to actually help me get cleaner water?”

That Dallas Water Utility lead pipe letter is just one of 3 major concerns homeowners have about water quality in Dallas.

Is there lead in Dallas drinking water?

While DWU reports there is no lead in Dallas drinking water, the answer isn't quite that straightforward.

“Our pipe inventory is not complete,” Bryce explains. “We don't know for like half of the city.”

As of February 2025, over 36% of Dallas public water lines are untested for lead or galvanized steel. And over 500,000 residential water lines are still unchecked for lead.

Dallas residents can check the Lead Service Line Inventory Map for a status update on public and private supply line testing in their area.

PFAS in Dallas water

PFAS (or “forever chemicals”) are synthetic chemicals that persist for thousands of years — they don't naturally break down in the environment. 

Exposure to PFAS in drinking water is directly linked to developmental defects, certain forms of cancer, thyroid disorders, slow immune system response, and developmental damage in children.

In August 2024, The Texas Tribune reported that Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine and Arlington exceed the EPA's limit for at least one forever chemical in their water system.

While Dallas now meets EPA standards for PFAS, they still exist in our drinking water. 

Dallas has extremely hard water

KXII reports that Texas is #6 in water hardness of all U.S. states. This is due to our high concentration of lime (calcium carbonate), magnesium and calcium in local geography. These hard minerals pass through the Dallas water supply, into your home through taps and faucets.

As your tap water runs, these minerals dry and stick to your pipes, faucets, shower heads and appliances. The most noticeable sign of mineral scaling is white splotches on your faucets and shower — but calcium buildup creates larger, unseen issues.

Mineral buildup causes appliance wear and tear and early appliance malfunction — especially in dishwashers and water heaters. “It's [often] the hardness that is making your water heater inefficient,” explains Bryce.

Calcium carbonate buildup in your pipes leads to poor water flow, low water pressure and potential sewer line clogs.

How to Improve Your Dallas Tap Water: Expert Tips

The experts at WaterTech provided helpful tips for improving the water quality in your Dallas home. 

These tips specifically address the 3 major issues facing our city water supply: lead, PFAS and water hardness.

How to remove lead from Dallas water

Dallas Water Utilities removed most (if not all) lead pipes from the water system years ago. But galvanized steel and metal pipes still accumulate lead and hold it for decades after lead pipe lines are removed.

“Water causes that lead to leach out of a pipe, and then it becomes part of the water chemistry," Bryce Linton told us.

His best advice? Use a reverse osmosis water filter with ion exchange. Resin beads containing sodium ions are placed in a filtration tank. The lead ions in your tap water that pass through the tank are removed and replaced with sodium ions.

“The lead ion sticks to the bead, and the sodium is let go from the bead,” Bryce explains. He suggests the WaterTech React Pro Ultra filter as his best product for combating lead in your water.

How to remove PFAS from drinking water

First things first — boiling water does not remove PFAS from your drinking water. And carbon filters don't remove all forms of PFAS from water.

Like lead, PFAS are best removed from Dallas tap water using a water filter with a reverse osmosis membrane. Plan to replace your reverse osmosis filter once a year for optimal results.

The WaterTech Infinity Plus model doesn't just eliminate PFAS and PFOS from your drinking water — it also handles lead.

“Infinity Plus removes 99% of lead, cysts, and PFAS," Bryce states.

How to get soft water in Dallas

Using a whole home water softener system doesn't just deliver soft water — it saves you money.

Hard water breaks down appliances, creates mineral scaling in pipes, and clogs your faucets and shower heads. Get a water softening system, and you'll save an average of $300+ per year by avoiding these issues.

Softeners use similar ion replacement technology to reverse osmosis filters, usually with sodium or potassium ions.

“Water softening is the most generally used form of ion exchange,” Bryce told us. 

Mother Modern Plumbing installs multiple WaterTech water softener products, like their Pro Series and Infinity Series. If your tap water also has lead or PFAS, the Infinity Series handles it all.

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How to Choose The Right Water Filtration System

So what's the best overall solution to improve your Dallas water quality? Bryce Linton says homeowners should invest in water filtration and softening systems — but certifications are extremely important.

“Manufacturers make all kinds of claims all the time. But are those claims really able to be substantiated?” he says. “Certification is really how we… overcome that issue.”

Look for products certified by one or more of 4 major certifying bodies in the water treatment industry:

1. NSF (National Sanitation Foundation)
2. Water Quality Association (WQA) Gold Seal
3. IAPMO Labs
4. UL Labs

We Improve Water Quality in Dallas Homes

Mother Modern Plumbing is committed to improving the water quality in every DFW home. Our expert plumbers and water system installers live and work here — clean water for you means clean water for us.

Trust us to install a superior water system from WaterTech in your home. We provide complimentary in-home water testing, then show you how to operate and maintain your water filter properly.

Clean, filtered water. No more hard minerals, lead and forever chemicals. Just peace of mind.

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