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County water report

Botetourt County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Botetourt County, Virginia.

Water grade

C

Water score

58.3

State rank

#55

of 95

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

24.3%

140 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

40

5,960 recent measurements

Live streamflow

36%

JAMES RIVER AT BUCHANAN, VA

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Botetourt County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 58.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

24% impaired

140 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

36% of mean

JAMES RIVER AT BUCHANAN, VA

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

40

5,960 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

58.3/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

7.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Botetourt County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Botetourt County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 58.3 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A notable 24.3% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (34 of 140 water bodies) across Botetourt County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and pcbs in fish tissue. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T15:00:00.000-04:00) puts JAMES RIVER at 907.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 36% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Botetourt County has moderate coverage with 40 active monitoring sites with 5,960 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Botetourt County

Water Verdict

Botetourt County, Virginia receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 58.3 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 140 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 24.3% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 36.1% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Botetourt County, Virginia show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 7.8 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. For independent context, 5,960 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Botetourt County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Botetourt County's drinking-water compliance score is 58.3 out of 100. The violation rate for Botetourt County is 7.8 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Botetourt County's watershed. With 40 active water-quality monitoring sites in Botetourt County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the JAMES RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Botetourt County has water quality close to the average county in Virginia. Its water score is within 0.6 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Virginia as a whole.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Botetourt County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Pcbs in Fish Tissue

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Benthic Macroinvertebrates Bioassessments

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Botetourt County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Botetourt County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Botetourt County

Consumer Confidence Reports (VA)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Virginia

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

24.3%

34 of 140 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    PCBS IN FISH TISSUE

  • 3

    BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

40

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

6.0K

5,960 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Microbiological

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

907cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

36%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

JAMES RIVER AT BUCHANAN, VA

USGS site
02019500
Drainage area
2,073 sq mi
Long-term mean
2,510 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Botetourt County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Botetourt County, Virginia?
Botetourt County, Virginia has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 58.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Botetourt County?
Botetourt County has 1 health-based drinking water violation recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Botetourt County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 24.3% of Botetourt County's 140 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (34 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), PCBS IN FISH TISSUE, BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Botetourt County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 5,960 measurements from 40 monitoring sites in Botetourt County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Microbiological. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Botetourt County right now?
Botetourt County's primary USGS streamgage on the JAMES RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 907 cubic feet per second — 36% of the long-term mean of 2,509.8 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Botetourt County water compare to the Virginia average?
Botetourt County's SDWIS water quality score of 58.3/100 is higher than the Virginia state average of 57.7. The average water quality grade across Virginia is D, based on data from 95 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Botetourt County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Botetourt County has a water quality grade of C (58.3/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Does Botetourt County have clean drinking water?
Botetourt County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 58.3/100 and grade C, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Botetourt County rank for water quality in Virginia?
Botetourt County ranks #55 out of 95 counties in Virginia by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 58.3/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Wise County

Virginia

C

58.4

Water score

Mecklenburg County

Virginia

C

60.4

Water score

Amherst County

Virginia

C

61.0

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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