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Read a water quality report from the data table first: look for the violations column, then the lead and copper results, and then check which year the report covers. The report describes the utility’s system, not the pipes in one house, so it is a starting point and not a verdict on a property. This guide uses the CDC’s page on how to read drinking water quality reports, the City of Richmond’s 2025 report and Henrico County’s 2024 report, current as of October 20, 2026.
What the report is and who gets one
The CDC describes a Consumer Confidence Report as the annual water quality report that public water utilities send to customers. It explains where tap water comes from, what contaminants were found over the past year, the health risks of those substances and any violations of safe drinking water rules. Community water systems that serve the same people year-round must provide one, and EPA requirements set a July 1 annual deadline, according to the CDC. Private wells, and systems at places such as schools or campgrounds, are not required to provide one. If a management company pays your water bill, you may need to look for the report online or ask the building manager.
Step 1: Find the data table and the violations column
The CDC says to start with the data table and look for the column labeled violations, meets standard or something similar to see whether any results were outside safe limits. Then read the violations section for what the violation was, how long it lasted, whether it posed a health risk and how the utility is fixing it. Reports from earlier years can show whether a problem is recurring. The City of Richmond reports 100 percent compliance with federal and state maximum contaminant levels for 2025, and Henrico’s 2024 report marks its regulated substances, lead and copper results and PFAS results as having no violations.
Step 2: Read the lead and copper line
Lead and copper are reported differently from many other substances. Richmond’s 2025 report explains that the reported levels are 90th-percentile values, which means at least 90 percent of results at the sites tested were at or below the reported level. Henrico’s 2024 report gives a copper 90th-percentile result of 0.154 parts per million, below the 1.3 ppm action level, and a lead result below 1 part per billion, below the 15 ppb action level, with none of the 52 sites tested above either level. The report notes the lead health goal is 0 ppb. The CDC adds that a report mentioning a contaminant in its health information does not mean that contaminant is in your water.
Remember that these figures come from sampled sites across a system. They do not describe the plumbing in a specific house, so the next step matters.
Step 3: Separate the utility’s system from the house’s plumbing
Richmond’s report says the city is responsible for removing lead pipes in its own system, but homeowners share responsibility for lead in home plumbing. It lists steps homeowners can take to reduce exposure: flush taps for several minutes before drinking and use an ANSI-accredited certified filter. For a home you are buying, ask what the service line is made of and what the interior pipes are. Our guide to old plumbing in Richmond-area homes covers galvanized, polybutylene, cast iron and lead, and what a Richmond home inspector will not cover explains what to add on.
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Step 4: Check source water and how to get involved
The CDC says reports usually include source water information, meaning the rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs or groundwater that supply the system. Richmond’s report says its source is the James River and notes a 2002 state source water assessment that rated the plant as having high susceptibility to contamination. Reports also include notes on who is most at risk from waterborne illness, and information about how to take part in decisions about water quality. For a comparison of how the city, Henrico and Chesterfield systems differ, see our companion guide on where Richmond-area tap water comes from.
A quick example: comparing two real reports
Suppose you are choosing between a home in the city and one in Henrico. Open Richmond’s 2025 report and Henrico’s 2024 report. Note the year each covers, because one reports testing in calendar year 2025 and the other in 2024. Find the violations column in each, then find the lead and copper lines. Henrico’s report lists specific results (copper 0.154 ppm and lead below 1 ppb against action levels of 1.3 ppm and 15 ppb, at 52 sites), while the text of Richmond’s report that we read explains the 90th-percentile method and the city’s inventory of service lines and does not restate the numbers outside its data table. When the figures are not in the text you are reading, check the report’s table, or call the utility.
The comparison also shows why year-to-year differences are normal. Each utility samples on its own schedule, and Henrico’s water mixes its own plant with purchased city water, so the two systems are connected even though the reports are separate.
When a lab test makes sense
EPA’s Protect Your Tap guide, last updated May 7, 2026, says testing is the only way to confirm lead in your water, that it should be done by a certified laboratory, and that testing costs about $15 to $100. It advises collecting samples from faucets you drink from and following the lab’s directions. EPA also notes that even if the service line is not lead, other plumbing and faucets can contain it, and some states and utilities offer programs that pay for testing or replacement. The guide says a penny or key and a magnet are all you need to identify a service line material, and it describes the steps with pictures.
If you are in the contract period on a purchase, ask your agent whether adding a water test to your inspection timeline fits your situation, and what the contract says about repairs.
Where to call in each locality
For the city of Richmond, copies and general questions go to 804-646-7306 or [email protected], and water quality and lead testing questions go to 804-646-8701. Henrico’s report lists 804-727-8700 for the water quality engineer. The EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline is 1-800-426-4791. Chesterfield County’s page lists [email protected] and 804-748-1271. Start with the city of Richmond, Henrico County or Chesterfield County guide to see the area you are considering.
What to ask the seller and your agent
Sellers can tell you what they know about the home’s plumbing, any water treatment equipment, and past testing. Ask whether the home has a water filter or softener, whether any pipes have been replaced, and whether the service line material is known. Ask your agent to include any water-related items you care about in your inspection timeline. If you are buying a home with a well, the utility reports above do not apply, and you will want to talk to your inspector and local health officials about private well testing.
If anything in the report confuses you, write the question down and send it to the utility. Utilities publish contact information in their reports because they expect questions.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a water quality report?
The CDC describes it as the annual report that community water systems send to customers, covering where the water comes from, what was detected, health risks and any violations.
When are water quality reports due?
The CDC says EPA requirements set an annual deadline of July 1.
What does the 90th percentile mean in a lead and copper result?
Richmond’s report explains that at least 90 percent of the results at the sites tested were at or below the reported level.
Does the report tell me what is in the water at a specific house?
No. It describes the utility’s system and sampled sites. Plumbing inside a home is separate, and EPA says testing by a certified laboratory is the only way to confirm lead in your water.
How much does a home lead test cost?
EPA’s Protect Your Tap guide, last updated May 7, 2026, says testing costs about $15 to $100.
What can I do to reduce lead exposure at home?
Richmond’s report says to flush taps for several minutes before drinking and to use an ANSI-accredited certified filter.
Who do I call with water quality questions?
In the city of Richmond, call 804-646-8701 for water quality and lead testing. Henrico lists 804-727-8700, and EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline is 1-800-426-4791.
