Tap Water Quality Report
Tap water quality in ROANOKE CITY, Virginia
Tap water in ROANOKE CITY, Virginia receives a grade of F (55/100) from TapWaterSafety.org. It's served by WESTERN VIRGINIA WATER AUTHORITY. The most significant water quality concerns are: PFAS contamination; Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline; Haloacetic acids (HAA5) significantly above health guideline; Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline; Arsenic detected. Data sources: EPA SDWIS, EPA ECHO, EWG Tap Water Database.
What's in ROANOKE CITY's tap water
Top water quality concerns identified by the EPA and Environmental Working Group across the utility serving ROANOKE CITY.
PFAS contamination
Severe concernPerfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) detected. PFAS are persistent chemicals linked to cancer and immune effects with no known safe exposure threshold.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 32.3 ppb, 538x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Haloacetic acids (HAA5) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA5) detected at 24.1 ppb, 241x above the EWG health guideline of 0.1 ppb.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernTotal trihalomethanes (TTHMs) detected at 34.9 ppb, 233x above the EWG health guideline of 0.15 ppb.
Arsenic detected
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 0.207 ppb.
Recommended filters for ROANOKE CITY
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in ROANOKE CITY's water supply.
Reverse Osmosis or NSF P473 certified carbon
$80-$750Activated carbon and RO are the only technologies proven to remove PFAS at certified levels.
Carbon block (NSF/ANSI 42 + 53)
$40-$750Activated carbon is highly effective for disinfection byproducts like TTHM and HAA5.
Reverse Osmosis
$249-$750Arsenic is most effectively removed by reverse osmosis. Some specialized adsorptive filters also work.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
All contaminants detected in ROANOKE CITY's tap water
Every contaminant identified, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal. Why we show multiple standards →
| Contaminant | Detected | EWG US health-based |
EPA US legal |
EU DWD Europe |
WHO global |
CA PHG strictest US |
Tested sample year |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
32.3 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 538× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
24.1 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 241× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
34.9 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 233× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
13.2 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 132× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
30.4 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 76× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
4.07 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 68× over |
| Arsenic Heavy metal |
0.207 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 52× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
10.4 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 52× over |
| Radium, combined (-226 and -228) Radiological |
0.4 pCi/L | 0.05 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 8.0× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.148 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 7.4× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
0.374 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3.7× over |
| Nitrate and nitrite Inorganic |
0.41 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 2.9× over |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) PFAS |
0.792 ppt | 0.3 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 1 | — | 2.6× over |
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) PFAS |
0.234 ppt | 0.09 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 0.007 | — | 2.6× over |
| Chlorate Disinfection byproduct |
69.9 ppb | 210.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Cadmium Heavy metal |
0.00571 ppb | 0.04 | 5.0 | 5 | 3 | 0.04 | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese Heavy metal |
10.2 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Barium Heavy metal |
48.5 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| Thallium Heavy metal |
0.00586 ppb | 0.1 | 2.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 1,4-Dioxane Semi-volatile organic compound |
0.0194 ppb | 0.35 | — | — | 50 | 1 | — | Below guideline |
| Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) Other |
0.158 ppt | 9.0 | 10.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Antimony Heavy metal |
0.0165 ppb | 1.0 | 6.0 | 10 | 20 | 1 | — | Below guideline |
| Aluminum Heavy metal |
8.82 ppb | 600.0 | — | 200 | — | 600 | — | Below guideline |
| Monochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.613 ppb | 53.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
0.426 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Beryllium Heavy metal |
0.00621 ppb | 1.0 | 4.0 | — | — | 1 | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
0.105 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Selenium Heavy metal |
0.07 ppb | 30.0 | 50.0 | 20 | 40 | 30 | — | Below guideline |
| Cobalt Other |
0.0965 ppb | 70.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.302 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA) PFAS |
0.163 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) PFAS |
0.113 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chlorodifluoromethane Other |
0.0039 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chromium (total) Heavy metal |
0.557 ppb | — | 100.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.695 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Lithium Other |
9.93 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Silver Other |
0.0323 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
All values in the unit of the detected level. Red cells indicate the detected level exceeds that standard. Some contaminants have limits in some jurisdictions but not others (shown as —). The "Tested" column shows the year each contaminant sample was collected.
Sources: US EPA, EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, WHO Guidelines, California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
Treatment plant contact info
For service issues, water quality concerns, or to request a Consumer Confidence Report from WESTERN VIRGINIA WATER AUTHORITY.