Is Charlottesville, VA Tap Water Safe? Quality & Contaminants

What was found in Charlottesville's water

The highest level seen across the city's suppliers, the EPA limit for each, and where the figure comes from.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Suppliers	Source
Copper	2095 µg/L 161% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 1300 µg/L	8/8	SYR4
Fluoride	1580 µg/L 40% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L	3/8	SYR4
Nitrate-Nitrite	1160 µg/L 12% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	4/8	SYR4
TTHM	99.3 µg/L 124% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 80 µg/L	8/8	SYR4
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	76.69 µg/L 128% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 60 µg/L	6/8	SYR4
Barium	54 µg/L 2.7% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L	5/8	SYR4
Chloroform	43 µg/L No EPA limit set	4/8	SYR4
Xylenes, Total	31 µg/L 0.3% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	1/8	SYR4
Dichloroacetic Acid	11 µg/L No EPA limit set	2/8	SYR4
Toluene	11 µg/L 1.1% of the EPA limit 1000 µg/L	1/8	SYR4
Lead	9.4 µg/L 63% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L	7/8	SYR4
Gross Beta Particle Activity	6.2 pCi/L No EPA limit set	5/8	SYR4
Ethylbenzene	5.9 µg/L 0.8% of the EPA limit 700 µg/L	1/8	SYR4
Bromodichloromethane	5.4 µg/L No EPA limit set	3/8	SYR4
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	3.7 pCi/L 74% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	5/8	SYR4
Trichloroacetic Acid	2.4 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/8	SYR4
Monochloroacetic Acid	1.6 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/8	SYR4
Dibromochloromethane	1.4 µg/L No EPA limit set	2/8	SYR4
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon And U	0.9900 pCi/L 6.6% of the EPA limit 15 pCi/L	1/8	SYR4
Lead	0.0080 mg/L 53% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	8/8	LCR

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the single worst sample on record — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Formal violations are listed separately. These are the utilities' own EPA-reported results, not a city-wide average. A detection means the lab measured the substance — it isn't the same as exceeding a legal limit. Hover a source tag to see the EPA program and years behind each figure.

Water suppliers serving Charlottesville

Supplier	Population served
ACSA URBAN AREA	77,408
ACSA CROZET	12,415
ACSA SCOTTSVILLE	710
KESWICK ESTATES	504
MILLER SCHOOL	250
ACSA RED HILL	240
LANGFORD SUBDIVISION	97
BEDFORD HILLS	58

Frequently asked questions about Charlottesville tap water

Is Charlottesville tap water safe to drink?

EPA testing detected 20 contaminants in the water serving Charlottesville. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most detected levels are within federal limits. Check the level and source for each contaminant above, and your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for the official compliance status.

How many water suppliers serve Charlottesville?

8 public water suppliers report drinking-water monitoring for Charlottesville, Virginia to the EPA. Each is listed above with its population served.

What contaminants are in Charlottesville's water?

The contaminants EPA monitoring detected in Charlottesville include Copper, Fluoride, Nitrate-Nitrite, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). The full list, with the highest level found and the data source, is in the table above.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.