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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Virginia Water Quality: 60 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 60 cities in Virginia, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Virginia's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

8of 60 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Virginia →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

0of 60 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 1 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

Virginia cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    Virginia BeachVIRGINIA BEACH, CITY OF · VA3810900
    Report →
  2. 2
    Chesterfield CentralCHESTERFIELD CO CENTRAL WATER SYSTEM · VA4041845
    Report →
  3. 3
    Loudoun - CentralLOUDOUN WATER - CENTRAL SYSTEM · VA6107350
    Report →
  4. 4
    Henrico CountyHENRICO COUNTY WATER SYSTEM · VA4087125
    Report →
  5. 5
    AlexandriaALEXANDRIA, CITY OF · VA6510010
    Report →
  6. 6
    Pwcsa - WestPWCSA - WEST · VA6153251
    Report →
  7. 7
    PortsmouthPORTSMOUTH, CITY OF · VA3740600
    Report →
  8. 8
    Spotsylvania CountySPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY UTILITIES · VA6177300
    Report →
  9. 9
    Acsa Urban AreaACSA URBAN AREA · VA2003053
    Report →
  10. 10
    LeesburgLEESBURG, TOWN OF · VA6107300
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 60 scored cities.

See all 60 in the table

60 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Virginia Beach
    VIRGINIA BEACH, CITY OF · PWSID VA3810900 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  2. 2Chesterfield Central
    CHESTERFIELD CO CENTRAL WATER SYSTEM · PWSID VA4041845 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFBA 15 ng/L detected, no federal or state limitDetected
  3. 3Loudoun - Central
    LOUDOUN WATER - CENTRAL SYSTEM · PWSID VA6107350 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFPeA 3.4 ng/L detected, no federal or state limit; lead 0.5 µg/LDetected
  4. 4Henrico County
    HENRICO COUNTY WATER SYSTEM · PWSID VA4087125 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  5. 5Alexandria
    ALEXANDRIA, CITY OF · PWSID VA6510010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  6. 6Pwcsa - West
    PWCSA - WEST · PWSID VA6153251 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  7. 7Portsmouth
    PORTSMOUTH, CITY OF · PWSID VA3740600 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  8. 8Spotsylvania County
    SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY UTILITIES · PWSID VA6177300 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  9. 9Acsa Urban Area
    ACSA URBAN AREA · PWSID VA2003053 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  10. 10Leesburg
    LEESBURG, TOWN OF · PWSID VA6107300 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  11. 11Harrisonburg
    HARRISONBURG, CITY OF · PWSID VA2660345 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  12. 12Hanover Suburban
    HANOVER SUBURBAN WATER SYSTEM · PWSID VA4085398 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
Showing 12 of 60.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works. See how Virginia compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in Virginia

Counties

Virginia counties

27 counties with city reports
Show all 27 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 60 Virginia city reports, A–Z
Next step

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Plumbing inside a building can add lead and change what reaches your glass.

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Treat by concern

Only after a city report names a finding, match a treatment certified for it.

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Questions

Virginia water, frequently asked

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How does Virginia tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 60 cities in Virginia by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Virginia Beach's main water system: VIRGINIA BEACH, CITY OF · PWSID VA3810900 · Purity Score 100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Virginia cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

8 cities of 60 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Danville (PFOA 9.1 ng/L), Western Virginia (PFOA 8.9 ng/L), Pwcsa - East (PFOA 7.9 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 21.

Is there lead in Virginia tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 24 of 60 Virginia cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

Does Virginia have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Virginia city on record; the hardest is Richmond at 3.6 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error