What's in Arlington, VA tap water?
Arlington County buys finished water from the Washington Aqueduct, so its contaminant profile mirrors DC's. Chlorination byproducts and hexavalent chromium are the contaminants that most exceed EWG health guidelines.
Zip codes covered: 22201, 22202, 22203, 22204, 22205, 22206, 22207 and surrounding Arlingtonareas. “× over” compares the detected level to EWG's health guideline, not the federal legal limit.
2 PFAS “forever chemicals” found in Arlington, VA's water
The EPA's most recent national testing round detected PFAS in Arlington County's supply. The EPA's 2024 legal limit for PFOA and PFOS is just 4 ppt, and its own health goal is zero, no level is considered safe.
Reverse osmosis is independently rated the most effective way to remove PFAS at the tap.
See the fixSource: EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), highest detected result per compound for Arlington County. Levels vary by sampling point and date. Learn more about PFAS.
How to get Arlington water off that list
Here is the good news: everything above comes out at your kitchen tap. Arlington County Water treats the water for the whole Arlington system, but a reverse osmosis system finishes the job at your sink, catching what city treatment leaves behind. The Sanavia Hydra fits under a standard Arlington sink and is NSF-certified to cut bromodichloromethane and the rest by up to 99%.
Arlington water quality FAQ
Is Arlington, VA tap water safe to drink?
Arlington County Water water meets all federal EPA legal limits. However, independent EWG testing finds 4 contaminants above its stricter health-based guidelines, including Bromodichloromethane and Dichloroacetic acid. Legal compliance and health-optimal water are not the same thing.
What contaminants are in Arlington water?
The most notable contaminants above EWG health guidelines are Bromodichloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Chromium-6 (hexavalent). These are largely disinfection byproducts and trace metals common to the region's water sources.
Does a reverse osmosis system remove these contaminants?
Yes. A reverse osmosis system like the Sanavia Hydra uses a 0.0001-micron membrane plus multi-stage carbon filtration, NSF-certified to reduce every contaminant class detected in Arlington water, at your tap, regardless of what the utility does upstream.
The contaminants flagged in Arlington water
Plain-English guides to what Arlington County Watertesting turns up above EWG's health guidelines — what each one is, and what actually removes it.