What's in Burke, VA tap water?
Burke is on the Fairfax Water system, drawing from the Occoquan Reservoir and the Potomac. PFAS and hexavalent chromium are both detected above EWG's health guidelines here, and neither is removed by a standard carbon pitcher filter.
Zip codes covered: 22015 and surrounding Burkeareas. “× over” compares the detected level to EWG's health guideline, not the federal legal limit.
8 PFAS “forever chemicals” found in Burke, VA's water
The EPA's most recent national testing round detected PFAS in Fairfax County Water Authority'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. Here, PFOA and PFOS were detected above that 4 ppt federal limit.
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 Fairfax County Water Authority. Levels vary by sampling point and date. Learn more about PFAS.
How to get Burke water off that list
Here is the good news: everything above comes out at your kitchen tap. Fairfax Water treats the water for the whole Burke 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 Burke sink and is NSF-certified to cut chromium-6 (hexavalent) and the rest by up to 99%.
Burke water quality FAQ
Is Burke, VA tap water safe to drink?
Fairfax Water water meets all federal EPA legal limits. However, independent EWG testing finds 4 contaminants above its stricter health-based guidelines, including Chromium-6 (hexavalent) and Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs). Legal compliance and health-optimal water are not the same thing.
What contaminants are in Burke water?
The most notable contaminants above EWG health guidelines are Chromium-6 (hexavalent), Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Total PFAS. 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 Burke water, at your tap, regardless of what the utility does upstream.
The contaminants flagged in Burke water
Plain-English guides to what Fairfax Watertesting turns up above EWG's health guidelines — what each one is, and what actually removes it.