Public water system · VA2840500
ActiveWinchester, City of
At a glance
City of Winchester (PWSID VA2840500) is an active community water system in Virginia. It reports serving 28,248 people through 11,219 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
28,248
Service connections
11,219
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Winchester compare with other water systems in Virginia?
By EPA's size categories, City of Winchester is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). 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 City of Winchester is about 4.2 times 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. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 110 Virginia systems (4.5%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Winchester?
EPA lists City of Winchester 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.
Does City of Winchester have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021. The violations listed here began between June 1980 and July 2021. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting, 1 required treatment not met and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Carbon, total (2 of them). EPA lists 7 as archived and 5 as resolved. 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. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Carbon, totalcode 2920 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-04-01 | Required treatment not metSingle Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 43 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2006-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Carbon, totalcode 2920 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1980-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chromiumcode 1020 | No | Archived |
| 1980-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Arseniccode 1005 | No | Archived |
| 1980-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Cadmiumcode 1015 | No | Archived |
| 1980-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Seleniumcode 1045 | No | Archived |
| 1980-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4-Dcode 2105 | No | Archived |
| 1980-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4,5-TP (Silvex)code 2110 | No | Archived |
| 1980-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toxaphenecode 2020 | No | Archived |
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.
City of Winchester: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Winchester?
City of Winchester (PWSID VA2840500) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the VA state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Winchester serve?
City of Winchester reports serving 28,248 people through 11,219 service connections in Virginia.
Where does City of Winchester get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does City of Winchester have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021. 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 City of Winchester'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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the VA state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Winchester's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Winchester 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 Virginia
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County Water Authority | Fairfax | 1,121,613 | Community | Surface water |
| Virginia Beach, City of | — | 437,994 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Newport News, City of | — | 407,300 | Community | Surface water |
| Chesterfield Co Central Water System | Chesterfield | 389,897 | Community | Surface water |
| Loudoun Water - Central System | Loudoun | 334,808 | Community | Surface water |
| Henrico County Water System | Henrico | 330,000 | Community | 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, “Winchester, City of, PWSID VA2840500, Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/virginia/winchester-city-of-va2840500 (data as of October 1, 2026).