Is Plains, the Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Fauquier

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	1984-09-01 → 1987-08-31

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate-Nitrite	7350 µg/L 74% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 7620 µg/L	50/50	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	17/17	LCR	2023
Copper	241.9 µg/L 19% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 290 µg/L	14/26	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	41.5 µg/L 2.1% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 42 µg/L	6/6	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	1.16 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.2 µg/L	5/15	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	1.92 µg/L 2.4% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 2 µg/L	5/9	SYR4	2013–2019
Gross Beta Particle Activity	3.64 pCi/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.7 pCi/L	4/4	SYR4	2012–2018
Bromodichloromethane	0.7800 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 0.8000 µg/L	3/15	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.7850 pCi/L 16% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L worst single sample: 0.8000 pCi/L	2/2	SYR4	2018
Lead	59.77 µg/L 398% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 62.6 µg/L	2/26	SYR4	2012–2019

39 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-DichloropropaneAntimony, TotalArsenicBenzeneBeryllium, TotalBromoformChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbon TetrachlorideChromiumDichloromethaneDibromoacetic AcidDibromochloromethaneDichloroacetic AcidEthylbenzeneFluorideMercuryMonobromoacetic AcidMonochloroacetic AcidSeleniumStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)Trichloroacetic AcidTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: SMITH, MILAS
Phone: 540-349-2092
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Plains, the

Is Plains, the tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 10 contaminants in Plains, the's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Plains, the's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate-Nitrite, Lead, Copper, Barium, Chloroform, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Plains, the serve?

Plains, the reports serving 566 people in Virginia, per its EPA record.

Has Plains, the had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 16 violations on file for Plains, the, of which 0 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.