PFAS Contamination

PFAS in Virginia Drinking Water

Ranked by number of PFAS compounds detected · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

128

Cities Tested

Exceeds Limit

13%

% Exceeds Limit

1.1 compounds

State Avg

▼ 8% vs national

vs National

198

Health Violations

Analysis

PFAS in Virginia: what the data shows

Virginia has 128 cities with PFAS monitoring data from the EPA's UCMR 5 program. PFAS ("forever chemicals") were detected in 52 of those cities (41%), with a significant share of cities exceeding the EPA's 2024 maximum contaminant levels of 4 ppt. The state average is better than the national average. 16 cities exceed the EPA MCL for at least one PFAS compound. PFAS are linked to cancer, immune system disruption, and developmental issues. The 2024 EPA rule requires water systems exceeding the MCL to notify customers and reduce levels by 2029. PFAS data comes from the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR 5), which required large water systems to test for 29 PFAS compounds between 2023–2025. Not all systems have completed testing — cities without data may still have PFAS present.

Comparison

Cities exceeding EPA MCL (4 ppt each)

Virginia

13%

16 of 128 cities

← ▼ 8% below national rate (better)

National avg

21%

1662 of 7853 cities

City Map

PFAS data across Virginia

Each dot is a city, colored by overall water quality grade. PFAS-tested cities are shown; those exceeding the 4 ppt EPA MCL appear in red. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by pfas level in Virginia

Highest PFAS levels (compounds)

All Cities

All Virginia cities ranked by pfas level

#	City	Level	Exceeds?	Violations	Grade
1	Warrenton	10 compounds	Yes	55	F
2	Hopewell	9 compounds	Yes	24	F
3	Purcellville	9 compounds	Yes	0	A-
4	Herndon	8 compounds	Yes	14	B
5	Woodbridge	7 compounds	Yes	1	B+
6	Fort Belvoir	7 compounds	Yes	7	B+
7	Roanoke City	6 compounds	Yes	3	B+
8	Lovingston	6 compounds	Yes	44	F
9	Round Hill	6 compounds	Yes	8	A-
10	Newport News City	5 compounds	Yes	8	A-
11	Hamilton	5 compounds	Yes	0	A-
12	Rockville	4 compounds	No	384	F
13	Hampton City	4 compounds	Yes	6	B+
14	Norfolk City	3 compounds	Yes	7	B+
15	Alexandria City	3 compounds	No	0	A
16	Stafford	3 compounds	Yes	3	B-
17	Manassas City	3 compounds	No	5	A
18	Mcincr, Mcb Quantico	3 compounds	Yes	26	C
19	Lebanon	3 compounds	No	10	F
20	Emporia	3 compounds	No	3	A+
21	Arlington	2 compounds	No	3	B
22	Fredericksburg	2 compounds	No	21	C
23	Hopewell City	2 compounds	No	9	A-
24	Vienna	2 compounds	No	1	B+
25	Colonial Heights City	2 compounds	No	3	A+
26	Manassas Park City	2 compounds	No	6	A
27	Ruther Glen	2 compounds	No	4	A-
28	Altavista	2 compounds	No	5	A-
29	Chesterfield	1 compounds	No	5	B+
30	Ashburn	1 compounds	No	2	A-
31	Williamsburg	1 compounds	No	36	D
32	Winchester	1 compounds	No	9	A-
33	Danville City	1 compounds	Yes	4	A-
34	Verona	1 compounds	No	28	B+
35	Harrisonburg	1 compounds	No	4	B+
36	Wise	1 compounds	No	23	B
37	Vansant	1 compounds	No	24	C
38	Marion	1 compounds	No	7	B
39	Williamsburg City	1 compounds	No	0	A
40	Clintwood	1 compounds	No	30	D
41	North Tazewell	1 compounds	No	2	C+
42	Wytheville	1 compounds	No	8	B
43	Roanoke	1 compounds	No	85	F
44	Chatham	1 compounds	No	46	F
45	Isle Of Wight	1 compounds	No	87	C-
46	Petersburg	1 compounds	No	7	B+
47	Smithfield	1 compounds	No	111	F
48	Strasburg	1 compounds	No	6	A-
49	Rocky Mount	1 compounds	No	4	B+
50	Pennington Gap	1 compounds	No	3	B
51	Stanley	1 compounds	No	13	B
52	West Point	1 compounds	No	3	A-
53	Virginia Beach City	0 compounds	No	29	A
54	Henrico	0 compounds	No	3	A
55	Richmond City	0 compounds	No	2	A
56	Chesapeake City	0 compounds	No	48	F
57	Portsmouth City	0 compounds	No	18	A
58	Charlottesville	0 compounds	No	33	F
59	Lynchburg City	0 compounds	No	0	A+
60	Suffolk City	0 compounds	No	35	A
61	Leesburg	0 compounds	No	2	A-
62	Hanover	0 compounds	No	6	A
63	Harrisonburg City	0 compounds	No	0	A
64	Charlottesville City	0 compounds	No	0	A
65	Abingdon	0 compounds	No	7	B+
66	Bedford	0 compounds	No	19	B-
67	Christiansburg	0 compounds	No	21	F
68	Blacksburg	0 compounds	No	1	A-
69	Petersburg City	0 compounds	No	3	A-
70	Collinsville	0 compounds	No	3	A+
71	Fredericksburg City	0 compounds	No	1	A+
72	Winchester City	0 compounds	No	1	A
73	Staunton City	0 compounds	No	2	A
74	Salem City	0 compounds	No	0	A+
75	Lynchburg	0 compounds	No	14	C
76	Culpeper	0 compounds	No	18	B-
77	Waynesboro City	0 compounds	No	5	A
78	Bristol City	0 compounds	No	0	A
79	Pulaski	0 compounds	No	61	D
80	Front Royal	0 compounds	No	16	F
81	Radford City	0 compounds	No	4	A+
82	Madison Heights	0 compounds	No	11	B-
83	Madison	0 compounds	No	28	D
84	Martinsville City	0 compounds	No	9	A-
85	Hillsville	0 compounds	No	10	B
86	Weber City	0 compounds	No	32	F
87	Dahlgren	0 compounds	No	17	C
88	Prince George	0 compounds	No	15	C+
89	Gloucester	0 compounds	No	4	A+
90	South Boston	0 compounds	No	39	B
91	Woodstock	0 compounds	No	24	D+
92	Louisa	0 compounds	No	78	D
93	Lawrenceville	0 compounds	No	64	D
94	Big Stone Gap	0 compounds	No	3	A-
95	Franklin City	0 compounds	No	24	A-
96	Ruckersville	0 compounds	No	4	B
97	Farmville	0 compounds	No	0	A
98	Emporia City	0 compounds	No	27	C+
99	Lexington City	0 compounds	No	2	A
100	Galax City	0 compounds	No	0	A
101	Dublin	0 compounds	No	5	D
102	Buena Vista City	0 compounds	No	4	A-
103	Blackstone	0 compounds	No	19	A-
104	Bridgewater	0 compounds	No	0	B
105	Bluefield	0 compounds	No	3	A-
106	Covington City	0 compounds	No	4	C-
107	Berryville	0 compounds	No	11	C+
108	Buckingham	0 compounds	No	16	B-
109	Colonial Beach	0 compounds	No	12	B+
110	Pearisburg	0 compounds	No	26	D
111	Luray	0 compounds	No	39	D
112	Orange	0 compounds	No	3	A-
113	Tazewell	0 compounds	No	1	B+
114	Coeburn	0 compounds	No	1	A
115	Chilhowie	0 compounds	No	6	A
116	South Hill	0 compounds	No	4	A
117	Richlands	0 compounds	No	4	A
118	Timberville	0 compounds	No	5	B+
119	Broadway	0 compounds	No	1	B
120	Norton City	0 compounds	No	0	A-
121	Clifton Forge	0 compounds	No	11	B-
122	Grottoes	0 compounds	No	8	B
123	Chincoteague	0 compounds	No	1	A-
124	Edinburg	0 compounds	No	9	C
125	Crewe	0 compounds	No	11	C+
126	Montross	0 compounds	No	12	A
127	Narrows	0 compounds	No	0	C
128	State Farm	0 compounds	No	6	A+

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about pfas in Virginia

Does Virginia tap water contain PFAS?

PFAS were detected in 52 of 128 Virginia cities tested under EPA's UCMR 5 program. 16 cities exceed the 2024 EPA MCL of 4 ppt for individual PFAS compounds.

How can I remove PFAS from my drinking water in Virginia?

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are the most effective at removing PFAS, typically removing 90%+ of compounds. High-quality activated carbon block filters (NSF 58-certified for RO, or NSF 53 for solid carbon) also provide significant reduction. Standard pitcher filters vary widely in PFAS removal.

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