Water System Report VA

Fairfax County Water Authority

EPA ID: VA6059501 ยท 1,121,613 people served ยท 54 ZIP codes

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Fairfax County Water Authority (VA6059501): no drinking-water violations recorded since 2021. Water monitoring history at Fairfax County Water Authority, as reported to the EPA, contains no recorded violations; 1,121,613 residents are counted in its service population.

Data: EPA SDWIS

D ยท 50
Avg Safety Score
1,121,613
People Served
54
ZIP Codes Served
0
Violations (since 2021)
Surface Water
Water Source
0.0012 mg/L
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2023-12-31)
Zone 1
County Radon Potential ยท High
0
Contaminants Flagged
$672K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Fairfax County Water Authority Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

Service area boundary - average Home Safety grade of mapped ZIPs: D

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$149,844
Median Household Income
1,485,140
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
11%
Disadvantaged Population
20th
Poverty Percentile
10th
Energy Burden Percentile
60%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Fairfax County Water Authority have a median household income of $149,844 and about 1,485,140 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 60% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

๐ŸŒŠ Where Does Your Water Come From?

Surface Water

Fairfax County Water Authority'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.

Moderate Risk
Source Contamination Risk
26th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
52th
Superfund Site Proximity

Infrastructure Risk

47 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
22 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Stable
Decay Status
Installed 68% of expected lifespan used (estimate) End of life

PFAS in ZIP Codes This System Serves

PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been reported in samples from water systems associated with the ZIP codes in this system's area. These results can come from other water systems serving the same ZIP codes; check the UCMR5 section for any results reported for this system. 401 detections recorded. 98 detections are above the level of a federal PFAS MCL (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS), with compliance required from 2029.

Health concern: Exposure to certain PFAS has been associated with some cancers and with immune and developmental effects; effects differ by compound. Many PFAS break down very slowly in the environment.
Recommended filter: An activated carbon filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 or a reverse osmosis system certified under NSF/ANSI 58 for the PFAS listed in its certification. Find the right filter โ†’

Comparable Water Systems

Similar-sized systems in Virginia

City of Virginia Beach
437,994 people
A 0 violations
City of Newport News
407,300 people
B 0 violations
B 0 violations
B 1 violation
A 0 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

PFAS Treatment
PFAS Treatment $500
Total Estimated Cost $500

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.

Cost of Inaction

Illustrative per-household cost scenario based on stated assumptions:

PFAS Exposure - Lifetime Cost $1,000

Per person (emerging research est.)

Estimated Cumulative Cost Per Household

5 years
$165
10 years
$330
20 years
$660

Compare: Estimated remediation cost is $500 (one-time) vs. $330 in estimated inaction costs over 10 years.

Individual costs vary by household size, property, and health factors. These estimates are for awareness, not financial advice.

System Overview

Fairfax County Water Authority (EPA ID: VA6059501) is a community water system in Virginia that serves approximately 1,121,613 people from surface water sources.

This system provides water to 54 ZIP codes across 21 communities.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: D (50/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 38 of 54 service-area ZIP codes with all required score domains observed. It is not a grade for the water utility.

Model 4.0.0 uses SDWIS identity plus accepted ECHO SDWA lifecycle-based water compliance, the UCMR 5 PFAS MCL screen, EPA radon zone, and annual EPA AirData AQI across three equally weighted domains. Missing required evidence suppresses the score.

Violation History

No accepted violation records in the 2021-2026 window - The accepted EPA ECHO 2026Q2 snapshot contains zero violation records for this system whose record year falls from 2021 through 2026, inclusive. This is not a tap-water safety guarantee.

Lead & Copper

EPA Lead and Copper Rule evidence attributed directly to this water system:

Lead Level Exceeds Action Level Sample Date
0.0012 mg/L No 2023-12-31

No copper action-level exceedance record appears for this PWSID in the accepted LCR snapshot. This does not establish a clean copper measurement.

Radon Risk in Service Area

44 of 54 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 1. 7 of 54 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 2. 3 of 54 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 3.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

ZIP Codes Served

Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by VA or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.

This system serves 54 ZIP codes:

20120 ยท 20121 ยท 20124 ยท 20151 ยท 20164 20165 ยท 20170 ยท 20171 ยท 20190 ยท 20191 20194 ยท 22003 ยท 22015 ยท 22027 ยท 22030 22031 ยท 22032 ยท 22033 ยท 22035 ยท 22039 22041 ยท 22042 ยท 22043 ยท 22044 ยท 22046 22060 ยท 22066 ยท 22079 ยท 22101 ยท 22102 22124 ยท 22150 ยท 22151 ยท 22152 ยท 22153 22180 ยท 22181 ยท 22182 ยท 22203 ยท 22204 22205 ยท 22207 ยท 22213 ยท 22302 ยท 22303 22304 ยท 22306 ยท 22307 ยท 22308 ยท 22309 22310 ยท 22311 ยท 22312 ยท 22315

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for Fairfax County Water Authority (VA6059501) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fairfax County Water Authority water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for Fairfax County Water Authority in the inclusive 2021-2026 record-year window. This is a compliance-record finding, not a guarantee about water at a specific tap.

How many people does Fairfax County Water Authority serve?

Fairfax County Water Authority serves approximately 1,121,613 people across 54 ZIP codes in Virginia.

Where does Fairfax County Water Authority get its water?

The primary water source is surface water.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Sample Above an EPA MCL Value or State Standard

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). One or more PFAS measurements were above the level of the EPA MCL for that compound (April 2024 rule, which takes effect in 2029) or above an applicable state drinking-water standard; a monitoring result above that level is not by itself a violation.

Samples collected
696
Detections
40
Latest sample
12/17/2024
Highest analyte
PFPeA: 21.5 ppt
Analyte Max detected EPA MCL (compliance required from 2029) Status
PFPeA 21.5 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFBA 17.6 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFHxA 17.1 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
6:2 FTS 10.1 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFBS 8.1 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFOA 7.4 ppt 4 ppt Above EPA MCL value (compliance required from 2029)

EPA's April 2024 PFAS rule sets MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX); water systems must comply from 2029. Other PFAS compounds have no individual federal MCL. A state standard is shown only where this system's state has its own enforceable PFAS limit. Detection results are EPA UCMR5 samples, not a measurement at your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) โ€” per-system federal sampling, 2023โ€“2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program โ†’

Understand PFAS health context and filtration โ†’

Frequently Asked Questions

Is water from Fairfax County Water Authority safe to drink? ▼
Fairfax County Water Authority has 0 recorded violations since 2021. The D shown is a ZIP-area score, not a grade for this utility; see the violation table for what was violated.
Should I use a water filter? ▼
No EPA drinking-water violations since 2021 are on record for Fairfax County Water Authority; this page does not establish contaminant levels at your tap. That is a compliance record, not a guarantee about the water at your tap; a certified filter can target a specific contaminant you are concerned about.
How many people does Fairfax County Water Authority serve? ▼
Fairfax County Water Authority serves approximately 1,121,613 people with drinking water across 54 ZIP codes.
What is Fairfax County Water Authority's water source? ▼
Fairfax County Water Authority draws water from surface water sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Fairfax County Water Authority's water? ▼
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result on record is 0.0012 mg/L (sample period ending 2023-12-31). This is at or below the EPA lead action level, which triggers system action and is not a safe level; the EPA health goal for lead is zero.
What is the demographic profile of the ZIP codes associated with Fairfax County Water Authority? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Fairfax County Water Authority have a median household income of $149,844 (Census ZIP-code estimate). Demographic data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and EPA EJScreen.
Where does Fairfax County Water Authority get its water? ▼
Fairfax County Water Authority'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. Based on the available data, the modeled source-contamination category is moderate; test local water to assess actual exposure.

How to cite this page

APA ZipCheckup. (n.d.). Fairfax County Water Authority, VA: Serves 1.1M People. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/va6059501/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-va6059501,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Fairfax County Water Authority, VA: Serves 1.1M People}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/va6059501/}
}

What You Can Do

1

Test your water

Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter โ†’

2

Check your specific ZIP code

Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report โ†’

3

Contact your utility

Fairfax County Water Authority (EPA ID: VA6059501) - request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.

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