Public water system · VA1173090
ActiveChilhowie, Town of
At a glance
Town of Chilhowie (PWSID VA1173090) is an active community water system in Smyth County, Virginia. It reports serving 4,625 people through 2,272 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased groundwater under influence, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
4,625
Service connections
2,272
Primary source
GUP
Purchased groundwater under influence
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Town of Chilhowie compare with other water systems in Smyth County?
By EPA's size categories, Town of Chilhowie is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Smyth County has 19 active public water systems, and Town of Chilhowie is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 3.5 times the county average of 1,338 people per system, and accounts for 18% of the 25,421 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Virginia, the 2,420 active systems average 3,122 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Town of Chilhowie is about 31% below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Virginia has 844 active community water systems, 35% of the state's 2,420 active systems. Purchased groundwater under the influence of surface water means the system buys that kind of water from another public water system. 20 Virginia systems (0.8%) list purchased groundwater under influence as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Town of Chilhowie?
EPA lists Town of Chilhowie as owned by a local government. The VA state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 13 of the 19 active systems in Smyth County (68%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Town of Chilhowie have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016. The violations listed here began between June 1993 and April 2016. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 4 required treatment not met and 2 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Surface Water Treatment Rule (4 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 as archived. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine (IDSE) · code 30 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine (IDSE) · code 30 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine (IDSE) · code 30 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine (IDSE) · code 30 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-08-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1999-06-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1999-05-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1999-04-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1998-02-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1993-06-29 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first. Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Town of Chilhowie: frequently asked questions
Who runs Town of Chilhowie?
Town of Chilhowie (PWSID VA1173090) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the VA state drinking water program.
How many people does Town of Chilhowie serve?
Town of Chilhowie reports serving 4,625 people through 2,272 service connections in Smyth County, Virginia.
Where does Town of Chilhowie get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased groundwater under influence. Purchased groundwater under the influence of surface water means the system buys that kind of water from another public water system.
Does Town of Chilhowie have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Town of Chilhowie's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the VA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Town of Chilhowie's water quality report?
As a community water system, Town of Chilhowie must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Smyth County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion, Town of | Smyth | 8,500 | Community | Surface water |
| Thomas Bridge Water Corp | Smyth | 3,500 | Community | Surface water |
| Saltville, Town of | Smyth | 2,204 | Community | Groundwater |
| Watsons Gap Water System | Smyth | 1,892 | Community | Groundwater |
| Rye Valley Water Authority | Smyth | 1,276 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Walker Creek | Smyth | 1,135 | Community | Purchased groundwater under influence |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Chilhowie, Town of, PWSID VA1173090, Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/virginia/chilhowie-town-of-va1173090 (data as of October 1, 2026).