Chloramine in Austin water and how to remove it

Austin Water disinfects with chloramine, not plain chlorine. Its 2025 report shows an average of 2.3 ppm in the system. Chloramine does an important job, but it's what gives tap water that pool taste and smell, and it's harder to filter than chlorine. Catalytic carbon is the media that handles it, either in a whole house system or ahead of a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink. Regular pitcher and fridge filters do very little against it.

What chloramine is

Chloramine is chlorine combined with a small amount of ammonia. Utilities add it to treated water to keep it free of bacteria while it travels through the pipes to your house.

Water can sit in pipes for a while before it reaches your tap. Plain chlorine fades faster over that trip. Chloramine is more stable, so it lasts longer. That's the main reason utilities choose it.

There's a tradeoff. The same stability that makes chloramine good for the utility makes it harder for you to remove at home.

Who uses chloramine around Austin

Not every utility in the area uses the same disinfectant. Here's what the latest reports say.

Chloramine:

• Austin: Austin Water, average 2.3 ppm (2025)
• Westlake Hills: Water District 10, buying Austin's water, average 2.22 (2025)
• Round Rock: treated surface water, average 2.15 ppm (2025)
• Cedar Park: average 3.09 ppm (2025)
• Leander: average 2.40 mg/L (2025)
• Lakeway: Lakeway MUD at 2.4 ppm and WCID 17 at 2.42 ppm (2025)
• Pflugerville: average 1.8 ppm (2024)
• Dripping Springs: Dripping Springs WSC, average 1.87 ppm (2025)
• Hutto: average 1.54 ppm (2025)
• Liberty Hill: average 1.29 mg/L (2025)
• Manville WSC, which serves parts of Pflugerville, Manor, and Hutto: average 1.38 ppm (2025)

Free chlorine:

• Kyle: average 1.43 mg/L (2025)
• Buda: about 1.0 mg/L (2025)
• Manor city wells: average 1.41 ppm. Manor also buys water from sources that use chloramine.

Round Rock's groundwater portion also uses chlorine. Some utilities, including Round Rock in 2026, switch to free chlorine for a few weeks to flush their systems. That's a normal maintenance step, and your taste may change while it happens.

Not sure which one you have? Your utility's annual water quality report names the disinfectant. Each of our city pages links to the right report.

How to tell if you have it

Some signs you might notice:

• A pool or bleach smell when you run the tap or shower
• A chemical taste in tap water, coffee, or tea
• Your pitcher filter doesn't seem to help much
• Water left on the counter overnight still smells the same

That last one is a good clue. Chlorine tends to gas off from water left sitting out. Chloramine mostly stays put.

The free in home water test checks total chlorine at your tap, which picks up chloramine too.

Why chloramine is hard to filter

Most basic filters use standard activated carbon. Carbon is great at grabbing plain chlorine. Water passes through and the chlorine is gone.

Chloramine needs a lot more contact time with carbon to break down. A pitcher or fridge filter gives water only a few seconds in a small cartridge. That's not enough to do much.

That's why people often say, "I have a filter and I can still taste it." The filter is doing what it was built for. It just wasn't built for chloramine.

What actually removes chloramine

Catalytic carbon

Catalytic carbon is activated carbon that's been treated to break down chloramine much more effectively. It's the standard answer for chloramine.

It still needs enough contact time, so the system has to be sized right. A whole house tank needs enough media for your home's peak water use. An undersized tank lets chloramine slip through when several taps are running.

Whole house systems

A whole house filtration system puts a large catalytic carbon tank on your main water line. Every faucet, shower, and appliance gets filtered water.

This is the best option if you notice chloramine in the shower or around the house, not just in your drinking glass. It's also the usual pick for homes with fish tanks or anyone who brews at home.

Reverse osmosis at the sink

A reverse osmosis system has carbon stages before the membrane. Those stages reduce chloramine and also protect the membrane, since chloramine can damage RO membranes over time.

RO covers drinking and cooking water from one faucet. It doesn't help showers or the rest of the house.

Shower filters

Small shower filters are better than nothing, but they're limited. There's not much media and the water moves through fast. They help some people, but don't expect them to match a whole house system.

What doesn't work well

• Letting water sit out. Works for chlorine, not really for chloramine.
• Boiling. Not a practical way to remove chloramine.
• Standard carbon pitchers and fridge filters. Limited effect because of short contact time.

Chloramine and fish tanks

If you keep fish, this matters. Chloramine has to be treated before tap water goes into an aquarium.

Aquarium water conditioners made for chloramine work for small amounts. If you fill tanks often, a whole house catalytic carbon system handles it at the source. Keep in mind that when chloramine breaks down, it can leave ammonia behind. Many aquarium keepers use a conditioner that also binds ammonia.

Chloramine and home brewing

Home brewers in Austin know this one. Chloramine can affect the taste of beer. Many brewers use a campden tablet or a carbon filter made for chloramine. A whole house catalytic carbon system makes it a non issue for every batch.

Choosing the right setup

Here's a simple way to think about it for most Austin area homes on chloramine.

If taste is the only complaint and it's just drinking water: an RO system at the kitchen sink.

If you notice it in the shower too, or want filtered water everywhere: a whole house catalytic carbon system.

If your water is also hard: add a softener. In places like Cedar Park, Lakeway, and Round Rock, a softener plus catalytic carbon is a common combo. See our hard water guide.

If you're on free chlorine, like Kyle or Buda: standard carbon handles chlorine well, so your options are a bit simpler.

Want to see the details? Our chloramine removal page covers how systems get sized for it.

Questions to ask before you buy

Plenty of filters say they remove chlorine. Fewer are built for chloramine. Before you buy anything, ask:

1. Is the media catalytic carbon? If the answer is just "carbon," ask again.
2. Is it certified for chloramine reduction? Look for the specific claim on the certification, not just a general taste and odor claim.
3. How was it sized? A whole house tank should be sized to your bathrooms, your household, and your peak water use. If nobody asked, it's a guess.
4. How long will the media last? It depends on your water and use. You should get a straight answer and a written schedule.
5. Did anyone test my water? A quote should start with your actual water, not a sales sheet.

If a salesperson can't answer these clearly, keep shopping.

Bottom line

Austin and most nearby cities use chloramine. It does its job well, but it's harder to filter than chlorine. Catalytic carbon is the media that works, either for the whole house or in front of an RO system.

Want to know what's in your water and what it would take to filter it? Request a free in home water test. We pass it to a local installer, who tests at your tap and gives you a written quote.