Is Richmond, VA tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Richmond · serves 233,655 people (83,254 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID VA4760100
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 4 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level3.59 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
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jul 2020.
- 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 City of Richmond's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (804) 646-1638.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Oct 2023 to Oct 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 Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 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
Not detected in 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.59 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5.1 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 3.59 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 3.7 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 2.5 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 5.1 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 5.5 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2002 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 1999 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | 3 ppb |
| Jul 1997 – Dec 1997 | 4 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Richmond publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
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 2020 | The system did not remove enough organic matter, which reacts with chlorine to form disinfection byproducts. EPA record: Carbon, total · Treatment Technique Precursor Removal (limit TT ) 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 | 1.02 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 1,400 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.2 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.55 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.13 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Richmond
36 ZIP codes the system reported serving
23173, 23218, 23219, 23220, 23221, 23222, 23223, 23224, 23225, 23226, 23227, 23230, 23231, 23232, 23234, 23235, 23241, 23249, 23260, 23261, 23269, 23274, 23276, 23278, 23279, 23282, 23284, 23285, 23286, 23289, 23290, 23291, 23292, 23293, 23295, 23298
Nearby utilities
- Henrico County Water System Tuckahoe · 7 mi
- Hanover Suburban Water System Mechanicsville · 9 mi
- Chesterfield County Central Water System Chester · 13 mi
- City of Newport News Newport News · 61 mi
- City of Suffolk Suffolk · 74 mi
- City of Portsmouth Portsmouth · 77 mi
Questions
Is Richmond tap water safe to drink?
Most of Richmond gets its water from City of Richmond. City of Richmond had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. 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 Richmond water have PFAS?
EPA tested City of Richmond for 29 PFAS between Oct 2023 and Oct 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Richmond water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Richmond is 3.59 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 VA4760100: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID VA4760100).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Richmond's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (804) 646-1638.
- City of Richmond website
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.