Public water system · VA4057800

Active

Tappahannock, Town of

At a glance

Town of Tappahannock (PWSID VA4057800) is an active community water system in Essex County, Virginia. It reports serving 2,375 people through 1,417 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

2,375

Service connections

1,417

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDVA4057800

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served2,375

Service connections1,417

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyVA state drinking water program

City served—

StateVirginia

ZIP—

CountyEssex County

How does Town of Tappahannock compare with other water systems in Essex County?

By EPA's size categories, Town of Tappahannock is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Essex County has 21 active public water systems, and Town of Tappahannock is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 12 times the county average of 204 people per system, and accounts for 56% of the 4,274 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 Tappahannock is about 65% 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. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 2,089 Virginia systems (86%) list groundwater as their primary source.

Who owns and regulates Town of Tappahannock?

EPA lists Town of Tappahannock 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. 1 of the 21 active systems in Essex County (4.8%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Town of Tappahannock have drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. The violations listed here began between June 1991 and October 2023. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 2 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (4 of them). EPA lists 8 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
2023-10-20	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34	E. colicode 3014	No	Resolved
2021-12-30	Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2015-08-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2012-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	No	Resolved
2012-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950	No	Resolved
2001-06-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2000-07-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
1998-06-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Resolved
1991-06-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Archived

All 9 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 Tappahannock: frequently asked questions

Who runs Town of Tappahannock?

Town of Tappahannock (PWSID VA4057800) 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 Tappahannock serve?

Town of Tappahannock reports serving 2,375 people through 1,417 service connections in Essex County, Virginia.

Where does Town of Tappahannock get its water?

EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.

Does Town of Tappahannock have any drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. 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 Tappahannock'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 9 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. 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 Tappahannock's water quality report?

As a community water system, Town of Tappahannock 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 Essex County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Gwynnfield Subdivision	Essex	398	Community	Groundwater
Va American South Hill Banks	Essex	183	Community	Groundwater
Aylett Country Day School	Essex	175	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater
Vcu Health Tappahannock Hospital	Essex	150	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater
Cottage Row	Essex	120	Community	Groundwater
Watts & Sons Supermarket	Essex	110	Transient non-community	Groundwater

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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, “Tappahannock, Town of, PWSID VA4057800, Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/virginia/tappahannock-town-of-va4057800 (data as of October 1, 2026).