Public water system · VA1121580
ActivePrices Fork/Merrimac
At a glance
Prices Fork/Merrimac (PWSID VA1121580) is an active community water system in Montgomery County, Virginia. It reports serving 4,541 people through 1,050 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
4,541
Service connections
1,050
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Prices Fork/Merrimac compare with other water systems in Montgomery County?
By EPA's size categories, Prices Fork/Merrimac is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Montgomery County has 27 active public water systems, and Prices Fork/Merrimac is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 67% above the county average of 2,717 people per system, and accounts for 6.2% of the 73,361 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 Prices Fork/Merrimac is about 32% 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 surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 162 Virginia systems (6.7%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Prices Fork/Merrimac?
EPA lists Prices Fork/Merrimac 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. 10 of the 27 active systems in Montgomery County (37%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Prices Fork/Merrimac have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. The violations listed here began between July 2005 and October 2025. By type: 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 1 monitoring and reporting and 1 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminants or rules involved are Public Notice, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Consumer Confidence Rule and Total coliform bacteria (TCR). EPA lists 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-12 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
All 4 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.
Prices Fork/Merrimac: frequently asked questions
Who runs Prices Fork/Merrimac?
Prices Fork/Merrimac (PWSID VA1121580) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the VA state drinking water program.
How many people does Prices Fork/Merrimac serve?
Prices Fork/Merrimac reports serving 4,541 people through 1,050 service connections in Montgomery County, Virginia.
Where does Prices Fork/Merrimac get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Prices Fork/Merrimac have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. 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 Prices Fork/Merrimac'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. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the VA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Prices Fork/Merrimac's water quality report?
As a community water system, Prices Fork/Merrimac 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 Montgomery County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg, Town of | Montgomery | 34,578 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Christiansburg Town of | Montgomery | 22,000 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Christiansburg Elliston Waterline | Montgomery | 3,626 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Plum Creek | Montgomery | 1,740 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Radford Army Ammunition Plant | Montgomery | 1,602 | Community | Surface water |
| Bethel Area | Montgomery | 1,247 | Community | Purchased surface water |
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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, “Prices Fork/Merrimac, PWSID VA1121580, Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/virginia/prices-fork-merrimac-va1121580 (data as of October 1, 2026).