VA / Amherst
VA · Tap water records
Amherst tap water, in plain English
Here is what the EPA's own data shows about tap water in Amherst. According to EPA SDWIS data retrieved June 2026, Amherst is served by 1 active community water system, together reported to serve about 2,231 people.
As of June 2026, EPA records show 60 violations across the community water system(s) serving Amherst, going back to the earliest EPA record. 7 of these are classified by the EPA as health-based (a contaminant recorded above the limit the EPA tracks); the rest are monitoring or reporting violations. Each is listed by system below, with its status.
What the EPA has on record, by system
Amherst, Town Of
2,231 served · surface water · PWSID VA5009050 - Health-based Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5): a health-based violation (a contaminant recorded above the limit the EPA tracks), recorded 7 times between April 2016 and April 2018. The EPA record lists a level of 0.064 MG/L; the limit (MCL) is 0.06 MG/L. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Chlorine: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 7 times between January 2023 and August 2024. EPA records do not show all of these as returned to compliance.
- Monitoring Revised Total Coliform Rule: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 2 times in March 2023. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Lead and Copper Rule: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in July 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Nitrate-Nitrite: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Arsenic: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Barium: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Cadmium: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Chromium: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Iron: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Manganese: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Mercury: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Nickel: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Sodium: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Antimony, Total: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Beryllium, Total: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Thallium, Total: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Zinc: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Selenium: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Chloride: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Fluoride: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Sulfate: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Color: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Corrosivity: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Odor: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring TDS: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Xylenes, Total: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring DICHLOROMETHANE: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring o-Dichlorobenzene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring p-Dichlorobenzene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Vinyl chloride: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring 1,1-Dichloroethylene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring 1,2-Dichloroethane: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring 1,1,1-Trichloroethane: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Carbon tetrachloride: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring 1,2-Dichloropropane: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Trichloroethylene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring 1,1,2-Trichloroethane: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Tetrachloroethylene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring CHLOROBENZENE: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Benzene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Toluene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Ethylbenzene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Styrene: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
What this means
A health-based violation means a contaminant was recorded above the limit the EPA tracks for it. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was late or missed — not that a contaminant was measured above a limit. “Returned to compliance” means the EPA recorded the issue as resolved.
This page summarizes the EPA's own records and does not assess whether your water is safe to drink. For the most current details, you can verify every record directly with the EPA, and contact your water system with questions.
Source: U.S. EPA Envirofacts SDWIS, retrieved June 2026. Records cover the EPA's full reporting history for these systems. Verify at EPA ECHO.