County water report

Mecklenburg County Water Report

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

Water grade

Water score

60.4

State rank

#53

of 95

Health violations

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

28.2%

174 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

20,304 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

ROANOKE RIVER AT BUGGS ISLAND, VA

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Mecklenburg County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 60.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

28% impaired

174 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

ROANOKE RIVER AT BUGGS ISLAND, VA

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

20,304 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

60.4/100

Health violations

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

6.2

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Mecklenburg County has 10 facilities in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #66 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

70.8

0-100 index

Facility count

86.3 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

+10.4

Compared with US county median

Named operators

Microsoft

Mapped facilities

Microsoft Boydton Data Center
Microsoft
OSM
MICROSOFT CORP - AVC17 DATACENTER
BOYDTON · Microsoft
EPA ECHO
MICROSOFT CORP - LVL DATA CENTER
BOYDTON · Microsoft
EPA ECHO
MICROSOFT CORP - LYH10 DATACENTER
BOYDTON · Microsoft
EPA ECHO
MICROSOFT CORP DCS - AVC09 DATACENTER
LA CROSSE · Microsoft
EPA ECHO
MICROSOFT CORPORATION - AVC DATA CENTER
SOUTH HILL · Microsoft
EPA ECHO

4 more mapped facilities included in the county score.

See the Mecklenburg County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Mecklenburg County.

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayHigh Impact

Your facility would use 469.4% of this county's industrial water baseline. Verify water rights and long-term drought projections before committing.

469.4% of county industrial baseline

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Mecklenburg County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Mecklenburg County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 60.4 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 28.2% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (49 of 174 water bodies) across Mecklenburg County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and benthic macroinvertebrates bioassessments. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Mecklenburg County has moderate coverage with 45 active monitoring sites with 20,304 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 Mecklenburg County

Water Verdict

Mecklenburg County, Virginia receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 60.4 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 174 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 28.2% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Mecklenburg County, Virginia show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 6.2 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 20,304 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Mecklenburg County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Mecklenburg County's drinking-water compliance score is 60.4 out of 100. The violation rate for Mecklenburg County is 6.2 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 Mecklenburg County's watershed. With 45 active water-quality monitoring sites in Mecklenburg County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the ROANOKE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Mecklenburg County has water quality close to the average county in Virginia. Its water score is within 2.7 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 Mecklenburg County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

1
E. coli (bacteria)
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment
2
Benthic Macroinvertebrates Bioassessments
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment
3
Mercury (fish tissue)
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Mecklenburg County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Mecklenburg County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Mecklenburg County

Consumer Confidence Reports (VA)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Virginia

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

28.2%

49 of 174 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

1
ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)
2
BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS
3
MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

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

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

20K

20,304 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).

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

Household size

3 people · ~225 gal/day

Filter type

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Mecklenburg 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.

Try the full calculator →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Mecklenburg County, Virginia?

Mecklenburg County, Virginia has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 60.4/100, 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 Mecklenburg County?

Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County?

EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 28.2% of Mecklenburg County's 174 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (49 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS, MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE. 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 Mecklenburg County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 20,304 measurements from 45 monitoring sites in Mecklenburg 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.

How does Mecklenburg County water compare to the Virginia average?

Mecklenburg County's SDWIS water quality score of 60.4/100 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 Mecklenburg County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Mecklenburg County has a water quality grade of C (60.4/100). 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 Mecklenburg County have clean drinking water?

Mecklenburg County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 60.4/100 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 Mecklenburg County rank for water quality in Virginia?

Mecklenburg County ranks #53 out of 95 counties in Virginia by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 60.4/100, 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

Amherst County

Virginia

61.0

Water score

Fauquier County

Virginia

61.3

Water score

Wise County

Virginia

58.4

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.

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 May 14, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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