Nitrate Contamination

Nitrate in Virginia Drinking Water

Ranked by nitrate violation count · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

140

Cities Tested

140

Has Violations

100%

% Has Violations

3.5 violations

State Avg

▼ 0% vs national

vs National

198

Health Violations

Analysis

Nitrate in Virginia: what the data shows

Virginia has 140 cities with nitrate-related violations. The EPA MCL for nitrate is 10 mg/L (measured as nitrogen). The state has 140 cities with at least one nitrate violation. Nitrate is the most common groundwater contaminant in the United States. It enters water supplies primarily through agricultural fertilizer runoff, septic system leaching, and animal feedlot operations. Rural and agricultural communities face the highest risk. The primary acute health concern is methemoglobinemia ("blue baby syndrome") in infants under six months. Emerging research also links chronic nitrate exposure to thyroid disease, certain cancers, and adverse birth outcomes. Reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and distillation can remove nitrate from drinking water — standard carbon filters do not.

Comparison

Cities exceeding 10 mg/L EPA MCL

Virginia

100%

140 of 140 cities

← = Exactly at national rate

National avg

100%

8001 of 8001 cities

City Map

Nitrate data across Virginia

Each dot is a city with nitrate violation data. Cities with at least one nitrate-related violation are highlighted. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by nitrate level in Virginia

Highest Nitrate levels (violations)

All Cities

All Virginia cities ranked by nitrate level

#	City	Level	Violations?	Violations	Grade
1	Rockville	35 violations	Yes	384	F
2	Charlottesville	23 violations	Yes	33	F
3	Roanoke	20 violations	Yes	85	F
4	Hopewell	14 violations	Yes	24	F
5	Clintwood	13 violations	Yes	30	D
6	Stanardsville	12 violations	Yes	34	D
7	North Tazewell	10 violations	Yes	2	C+
8	Weber City	10 violations	Yes	32	F
9	Lovingston	10 violations	Yes	44	F
10	Dahlgren	9 violations	Yes	17	C
11	Luray	9 violations	Yes	39	D
12	King George	9 violations	Yes	34	D
13	Warrenton	8 violations	Yes	55	F
14	Pooler	8 violations	Yes	0	C
15	Herndon	7 violations	Yes	14	B
16	Pulaski	7 violations	Yes	61	D
17	South Boston	7 violations	Yes	39	B
18	Cleveland	7 violations	Yes	1	D+
19	Chesapeake City	6 violations	Yes	48	F
20	Front Royal	6 violations	Yes	16	F
21	Marion	6 violations	Yes	7	B
22	Prince George	6 violations	Yes	15	C+
23	Bluefield	6 violations	Yes	3	A-
24	Pearisburg	6 violations	Yes	26	D
25	Mount Jackson	6 violations	Yes	13	D
26	Richmond	6 violations	Yes	16	D
27	Charlotte Courthouse	6 violations	Yes	6	B+
28	Christiansburg	5 violations	Yes	21	F
29	Lynchburg	5 violations	Yes	14	C
30	Chatham	5 violations	Yes	46	F
31	Exmore	5 violations	Yes	11	C
32	Fredericksburg	4 violations	Yes	21	C
33	Bedford	4 violations	Yes	19	B-
34	Wise	4 violations	Yes	23	B
35	Petersburg	4 violations	Yes	7	B+
36	Gordonsville	4 violations	Yes	9	C+
37	Narrows	4 violations	Yes	0	C
38	Sugar Grove	4 violations	Yes	2	D+
39	Moneta	4 violations	Yes	14	C
40	Montvale	4 violations	Yes	5	B
41	Chesterfield	3 violations	Yes	5	B+
42	Arlington	3 violations	Yes	3	B
43	Stafford	3 violations	Yes	3	B-
44	Leesburg	3 violations	Yes	2	A-
45	Williamsburg	3 violations	Yes	36	D
46	Lebanon	3 violations	Yes	10	F
47	Hillsville	3 violations	Yes	10	B
48	Lexington	3 violations	Yes	1	A
49	Rocky Mount	3 violations	Yes	4	B+
50	Pennington Gap	3 violations	Yes	3	B
51	Edinburg	3 violations	Yes	9	C
52	Hamilton	3 violations	Yes	0	A-
53	Franklin	3 violations	Yes	2	A-
54	Knott'S Island	3 violations	Yes	2	B+
55	Knott'S Island	3 violations	Yes	2	B+
56	Harrisonburg City	2 violations	Yes	0	A
57	Manassas City	2 violations	Yes	5	A
58	Verona	2 violations	Yes	28	B+
59	Hopewell City	2 violations	Yes	9	A-
60	Mcincr, Mcb Quantico	2 violations	Yes	26	C
61	Staunton City	2 violations	Yes	2	A
62	Culpeper	2 violations	Yes	18	B-
63	Vansant	2 violations	Yes	24	C
64	Wytheville	2 violations	Yes	8	B
65	Jonesville	2 violations	Yes	15	C+
66	Louisa	2 violations	Yes	78	D
67	Lawrenceville	2 violations	Yes	64	D
68	Big Stone Gap	2 violations	Yes	3	A-
69	Goochland	2 violations	Yes	7	B
70	Smithfield	2 violations	Yes	111	F
71	Ruckersville	2 violations	Yes	4	B
72	Bridgewater	2 violations	Yes	0	B
73	Covington City	2 violations	Yes	4	C-
74	Orange	2 violations	Yes	3	A-
75	Tazewell	2 violations	Yes	1	B+
76	Coeburn	2 violations	Yes	1	A
77	Richlands	2 violations	Yes	4	A
78	Timberville	2 violations	Yes	5	B+
79	Broadway	2 violations	Yes	1	B
80	Norton City	2 violations	Yes	0	A-
81	Clifton Forge	2 violations	Yes	11	B-
82	Appalachia	2 violations	Yes	1	A
83	Honaker	2 violations	Yes	1	B+
84	Chase City	2 violations	Yes	8	B+
85	Amherst	2 violations	Yes	8	B+
86	Gate City	2 violations	Yes	7	A-
87	Onancock	2 violations	Yes	6	A-
88	Bland	2 violations	Yes	2	B+
89	Remington	2 violations	Yes	37	A-
90	Fincastle	2 violations	Yes	0	A-
91	Clarksville	2 violations	Yes	6	B+
92	St. Paul	2 violations	Yes	3	A
93	Newport News	2 violations	Yes	13	A-
94	Ashburn	1 violations	Yes	2	A-
95	Woodbridge	1 violations	Yes	1	B+
96	Abingdon	1 violations	Yes	7	B+
97	Winchester City	1 violations	Yes	1	A
98	Salem City	1 violations	Yes	0	A+
99	Bristol City	1 violations	Yes	0	A
100	New Kent	1 violations	Yes	12	B
101	Madison	1 violations	Yes	28	D
102	Manassas Park City	1 violations	Yes	6	A
103	Lexington City	1 violations	Yes	2	A
104	Strasburg	1 violations	Yes	6	A-
105	Galax City	1 violations	Yes	0	A
106	Dublin	1 violations	Yes	5	D
107	Berryville	1 violations	Yes	11	C+
108	Ruther Glen	1 violations	Yes	4	A-
109	Colonial Beach	1 violations	Yes	12	B+
110	Yorktown	1 violations	Yes	16	B+
111	Grottoes	1 violations	Yes	8	B
112	Waverly	1 violations	Yes	3	A-
113	Warm Springs	1 violations	Yes	5	A
114	Alexandria	1 violations	Yes	9	B+
115	Lovettsville	1 violations	Yes	0	A
116	Gretna	1 violations	Yes	6	B-
117	Rural Retreat	1 violations	Yes	1	A
118	Shenandoah	1 violations	Yes	8	A
119	Independence	1 violations	Yes	9	B
120	Floyd	1 violations	Yes	7	B+
121	New Market	1 violations	Yes	0	A
122	Bremo Bluff	1 violations	Yes	1	B+
123	Stuart	1 violations	Yes	0	A
124	Rappahannock Academy	1 violations	Yes	8	B+
125	Warsaw	1 violations	Yes	5	A-
126	Victoria	1 violations	Yes	4	A
127	Dayton	1 violations	Yes	2	A
128	Wallops Island	1 violations	Yes	19	B+
129	Brookneal	1 violations	Yes	24	B+
130	Cedar Bluff	1 violations	Yes	0	A
131	Middletown	1 violations	Yes	0	A
132	Bowling Green	1 violations	Yes	22	D+
133	Parksley	1 violations	Yes	20	B+
134	Easvtille	1 violations	Yes	14	A-
135	Quinby	1 violations	Yes	9	A
136	Rich Creek	1 violations	Yes	52	B+
137	Dilwyn	1 violations	Yes	2	A-
138	Surry	1 violations	Yes	10	A-
139	Charles City	1 violations	Yes	14	C-
140	Irvington	1 violations	Yes	15	B+

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about nitrate in Virginia

Is nitrate in Virginia tap water dangerous?

Yes — 140 cities in Virginia have nitrate-related violations. The EPA MCL is 10 mg/L. Nitrate is especially dangerous for infants under six months, where it can cause methemoglobinemia ("blue baby syndrome"). Adults face lower acute risk, but chronic exposure is linked to thyroid disease and certain cancers.

How can I remove nitrate from my drinking water?

Reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and distillation are effective at removing nitrate. Standard carbon filters (including most pitcher and faucet-mount filters) do NOT remove nitrate. If you rely on a private well in an agricultural area, have your water tested annually for nitrate.

What causes high nitrate levels in Virginia water?

Nitrate contamination comes primarily from agricultural fertilizer runoff, septic system leaching, and animal feedlot operations. Rural communities near intensive farming are most at risk. Shallow wells are particularly vulnerable. Heavy rainfall can spike nitrate levels as it washes fertilizer into groundwater and surface water supplies.

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