Arlington County
EPA ID: VA6013010 · 215,000 people served · 41 ZIP codes
Dating back across the full five-year EPA tracking window, Arlington County encountered 2 violations, each subsequently remedied and closed — today the utility meets all federal drinking water requirements for the 215,000 residents in its service area and holds no open enforcement actions.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Arlington County Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade B
Service Area Demographics
The Arlington County serves a community with a median household income of $141,933 and an estimated 359,680 residents across its service area. Approximately 68% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
🌊 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Arlington County's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.
About 1% of homes in Falls Church city, Virginia rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Superfund Proximity Note: This service area ranks in the 65th percentile nationally for proximity to Superfund (NPL) sites.
Infrastructure Risk
Detected Contaminants
How Arlington County compares to EPA limits
What This Means For You
Surface Water Treatment Rule at 2 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
PFAS Detected in Service Area
PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been detected in water serving this system's area. 72 detections recorded. 14 exceed federal EPA limits (4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS).
Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in Virginia
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
ARLINGTON COUNTY (EPA ID: VA6013010) is a community water system in Virginia that serves approximately 215,000 people from surface water sources.
This system provides water to 41 ZIP codes across 4 communities.
Average Home Safety Score: B (77/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Recent Violations
| Date | Contaminant | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2023 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
Contaminants Detected
The following contaminants have been flagged in EPA records for this water system:
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | Health-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Treatment Failure | 2 | No |
Lead & Copper
EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data for ZIP codes served by this system:
| ZIP Code | Lead Level | Exceeds Limit | Sample Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22201 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22202 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22203 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22204 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22205 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22206 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22207 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22209 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22210 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22212 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22213 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22214 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22215 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22216 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22217 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22218 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22219 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22222 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22225 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 22226 | 0.0006 mg/L | No | N/A |
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 2 (Moderate Risk)
The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 15 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 26 additional ZIPs inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
This system serves 41 ZIP codes:
22040 · 22042 · 22043 · 22044 · 22046 22101 · 22106 · 22107 · 22108 · 22109 22201 · 22202 · 22203 · 22204 · 22205 22206 · 22207 · 22209 · 22210 · 22211 22212 · 22213 · 22214 · 22215 · 22216 22217 · 22218 · 22219 · 22222 · 22225 22226 · 22227 · 22230 · 22234 · 22240 22241 · 22242 · 22243 · 22244 · 22245 22246
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Arlington County (VA6013010) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arlington County water safe to drink?
Arlington County has only monitoring/reporting violations, which are procedural in nature. The system meets federal health-based standards.
How many people does Arlington County serve?
Arlington County serves approximately 215,000 people across 41 ZIP codes in Virginia.
Where does Arlington County get its water?
The primary water source is surface water.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from Arlington County Department of Environmental Services Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: Arlington County Department of Environmental Services Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Treatment chemicals and what each one does
Chemical names are reported verbatim by the utility. Purpose categories are ZipCheckup annotations based on standard drinking-water treatment practice.
Watershed exposure sources reported
Land-use and natural conditions identified in the utility's source-water assessment as potential contamination sources upstream of treatment.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from Arlington County Department of Environmental Services Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Detected
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). PFAS compounds were detected below the current state-enforceable MCL.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
Arlington County is developing a water service line inventory following updated EPA guidance and is collecting resident self-reports on connecting line materials. No lead service lines believed to remain.
Lead Service Line Replacement Tracker
This water utility's lead service line (LSL) replacement program is tracked from public Consumer Confidence Report filings. Email signup notifies subscribers when the utility files an updated replacement plan or progress milestone.
Arlington County Department of Environmental Services
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. LSL replacement-program data is sourced from public CCR filings published by the utility. Subscription notifications are based on automated parsing of subsequent CCR releases.
Learn more about Lead and Copper Rule replacement requirements →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
This system reports zero confirmed lead service lines in its inventory. Unknown-material counts may still warrant verification.
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
Hard water detected in Arlington County Department of Environmental Services
Your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report flagged water hardness above EPA's secondary maximum contaminant level (120 ppm CaCO₃). This may cause scale buildup, reduced appliance lifespan, and dry skin or hair.
There are three common approaches to treating hard water: salt-based ion-exchange softeners (most effective, require salt refills), salt-free conditioners (lower maintenance, scale prevention only), and reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink (cooking and drinking water only). Aquasana, EcoWater, Pelican, and SpringWell are among the major US brands.
Paid Partner. ZipCheckup earns commission on Aquasana purchases. We do not test water or verify product effectiveness for specific hardness levels — manufacturer claims are theirs alone. Consult a certified water-quality professional for personalized advice.
Hardness data parsed from this utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report. Severity bands per USGS hard water classification.
Notable events and violations
This section summarizes events the utility chose to disclose in its most recent Consumer Confidence Report, plus any federal compliance violations the utility recorded against itself. Both lists are utility-authored — ZipCheckup does not audit, judge, or reorder them.
Notable events from the utility's CCR
These bullet entries are the utility's own narration of operational, regulatory, or infrastructure events during the reporting period.
- Annual spring disinfectant switch: each spring for approximately six weeks, Arlington switches from chloramine to chlorine for distribution system flushing; standard practice for chloramine systems.
- Washington Aqueduct and VDH prior testing detected low levels of some PFAS compounds in Arlington's drinking water; none exceeded EPA's proposed regulatory limits and most samples showed no detection. EPA proposed PFAS regulations in March 2023 for six PFAS types.
- Perchlorate voluntarily monitored by Washington Aqueduct since 2002; 2023 source and treated water samples found average 0.3 ppb, highest 0.4 ppb (below EPA interim health advisory of 15 ppb; currently unregulated).
- Giardia detected in two of four quarterly source water samples (January: 1.40 cysts/L, October: 1.36 cysts/L); no precaution for general public required. Cryptosporidium not detected in any quarterly samples.
ZipCheckup note: items above reflect what the utility published in its most recent CCR. Federal violation records are also tracked separately by the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — the SDWIS record is the authoritative federal source for any specific regulatory action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What You Can Do
Test your water
Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter →
Check your specific ZIP code
Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report →
Contact your utility
Arlington County (EPA ID: VA6013010) — request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.