Water testing in San Antonio can mean three different things: reading your utility’s annual report, testing hardness at your own tap, or sending a sample to a laboratory. Each answers a different question. Picking the right one saves you from buying equipment you do not need, or missing the thing you were worried about.
Test one: your utility’s annual report
If SAWS supplies your water, start with what SAWS publishes. Its website has a page for downloading its annual water quality reports, and the 2026 report is listed there. Its water quality FAQ gives the typical hardness of the water it provides: 15 to 20 grains per gallon. If another utility supplies your home, your water bill names it; ask that utility for its own annual report.
A utility report describes the supply as a whole. It does not describe what happens in your own pipes, your water heater or any equipment you already have. For that, you need a test at your tap.
Test two: hardness at the tap
For softener questions, the number that matters is hardness. A simple hardness test at the tap, with test strips or a test by a water treatment pro, gives you a reading in grains per gallon. Compare it with the US Geological Survey scale: soft up to 60 mg/L as calcium carbonate, moderately hard from 61 to 120, hard from 121 to 180, very hard above 180. One grain per gallon is about 17 mg/L, so the very hard line falls a little above 10 grains.
A hardness test is also the quickest check on a softener you already own. Test the water going in and the water coming out. If the two readings are close, the softener is not softening.
Test three: a laboratory test
Some questions need a laboratory. If you are concerned about a contaminant for health reasons, such as lead, a home strip is not the answer: a laboratory test gives a figure you can act on. For private wells, the EPA’s advice is clear: “Only use laboratories that are certified to do drinking water testing.” The CDC says the same: use a state-certified laboratory. The EPA adds that your local health department may provide private well testing for free.
Homes on a private well
No utility report covers a private well. The EPA advises testing a private well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, and testing right away if there are known problems in the area, if conditions near the well change (flooding, land disturbance, new construction or industry), or if you replace or repair any part of the well. The CDC advises testing at least once a year, and more often if the water’s taste, color or smell changes.
Matching a result to what you see
The EPA’s secondary standards, which it does not enforce, are a useful key for taste and staining results:
| Result | EPA secondary level | What it can cause |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | 0.3 mg/L | Rusty color, metallic taste, reddish or orange staining |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/L | Black to brown color, black staining |
| Chloride | 250 mg/L | Salty taste |
| Total dissolved solids | 500 mg/L | Hardness, deposits, staining, salty taste |
| pH | 6.5 to 8.5 | The recommended range |
From test to equipment
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s advice on home water treatment begins with “What contaminant do you want to remove or reduce?” A test answers that. Then choose a unit certified by NSF, Underwriter’s Laboratory or the Water Quality Association to remove that contaminant. A hardness result points to a softener under NSF/ANSI 44; a taste or odor complaint to a filter under NSF/ANSI 42; a health-effect contaminant such as lead to a filter under NSF/ANSI 53 or reverse osmosis under NSF/ANSI 58.
Keep your results and bring them to any quote. If a pro recommends treating something your test did not show, ask why, and ask to see their own test result. The water treatment page sets out the options by standard.
A short checklist
- Check your bill to see who supplies your water
- Read that supplier’s annual water quality report
- Test hardness at the tap, before and after any softener
- For health concerns or a private well, use a certified laboratory
- Choose equipment certified for what the test found
Questions people ask
Where can I get my water tested in San Antonio?
For hardness, test strips or a water treatment pro can test at your tap. For health concerns or a private well, use a laboratory certified for drinking water testing; the EPA says your local health department may offer private well testing for free.
Does SAWS test my water?
SAWS publishes annual water quality reports on its website, and the 2026 report is listed on its download page. For your own tap, have it tested.