Is Roanoke, VA tap water safe?
Supplied by Western Virginia Water Authority · serves 182,700 people (68,287 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID VA2770900
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from City of Salem. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 4.75 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 22.8 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level0 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved3 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jan 2020.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Western Virginia Water Authority's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 15 entry points tested Sep 2023 to Jun 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.23 ppt 56% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 4.75 ppt 1.19× the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 1.5 ppt 15% of the limit |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.15 |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2.15 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.1 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 95% of the Virginia systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 5 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 22 of 38 samples. Highest result 22.8 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 4.8 ppb (Dec 2022).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 4.8 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 1.51 ppb |
Earlier results (5)
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 1.52 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 2.7 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 4 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jul 2019 – Jan 2020 2 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.081 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Jul 2017 | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 62 ug/l (limit 0.060 mg/L) Resolved |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 47.3 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 917 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 7.28 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Molybdenum | 6.7 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.8 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Cobalt | 2.3 ppb | 70 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.12 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Roanoke
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 24002, 24010, 24011, 24012, 24013, 24014, 24015, 24016, 24017, 24018, 24019, 24022, 24037, 24042, 24065, 24077, 24083, 24101, 24153, 24157, 24175, 24179
Nearby utilities
- City of Lynchburg Lynchburg · 43 mi
- Ncsa – Wintergreen Water System Arrington · 65 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Harrisonburg Harrisonburg · 100 mi
- Henrico County Water System Tuckahoe · 132 mi
- City of Richmond Richmond · 137 mi
- Chesterfield County Central Water System Chester · 139 mi
Questions
Is Roanoke tap water safe to drink?
Most of Roanoke gets its water from Western Virginia Water Authority. Western Virginia Water Authority had 3 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Roanoke water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Western Virginia Water Authority found 5 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 4.75 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Roanoke water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Western Virginia Water Authority is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for VA2770900: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID VA2770900).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Western Virginia Water Authority, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.