Is Prices Fork/Merrimac Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: SWP
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Montgomery

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2005-07-01 → 2005-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2005-07-01 → 2005-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2005-07-01 → 2005-07-31
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2025-10-12
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2025-10-12
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-07-01 → 2024-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-07-01 → 2024-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-07-01 → 2024-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-07-01 → 2024-09-30
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-07-01

Other contaminants detected

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.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Copper	286 µg/L 22% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L	150/150	SYR4	2012–2018
Lead	27.4 µg/L 183% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 15 µg/L	106/150	SYR4	2012–2018
Bromodichloromethane	9.26 µg/L No EPA limit set	56/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	90.7 µg/L No EPA limit set	56/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	33.2 µg/L No EPA limit set	56/56	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	100.08 µg/L 125% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 80 µg/L	56/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	82.9 µg/L 138% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 60 µg/L	56/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	39.3 µg/L No EPA limit set	56/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	41.85 µg/L No EPA limit set	48/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	1.02 µg/L No EPA limit set	37/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.00051 mg/L 3.4% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	20/20	LCR	2024
Monobromoacetic Acid	7.72 µg/L No EPA limit set	10/56	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	1.22 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/56	SYR4	2012–2019

31 contaminants tested, none detected

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Utility contact

Contact: POFF, BRIAN
Email: poffbe@montgomerycountyva.gov

Frequently asked questions about Prices Fork/Merrimac

Is Prices Fork/Merrimac tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 13 contaminants in Prices Fork/Merrimac's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Prices Fork/Merrimac's water?

EPA monitoring detected Copper, Lead, Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dichloroacetic Acid, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Prices Fork/Merrimac serve?

Prices Fork/Merrimac reports serving 4,541 people in Virginia, per its EPA record.

Has Prices Fork/Merrimac had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 11 violations on file for Prices Fork/Merrimac, of which 3 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

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.