Chilhowie, Town Of, VA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 8.4 ppb (monitoring period 2022-2024). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
Chilhowie, Town Of at a glance
Chilhowie, Town Of serves about 4,625 people through 2,272 service connections, which makes it a medium-sized system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Smyth County, Virginia. EPA system ID: VA1173090; phone on file: 276-646-3232. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Chilhowie, Town Of's lead record
Against the period ending 2024 (8.4 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Chilhowie, Town Of is 8.4 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 8.4 ppb |
| 2024 | 8.4 ppb |
| 2024 | 8.4 ppb |
| 2021 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2018 | 0 (not detected) |
Where this result ranks
Of the 996 Virginia systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0 ppb; 3 are over 15 ppb right now and 59 have gone over at some point. Chilhowie, Town Of's 8.4 ppb sits at the 97th percentile in Virginia and the 96th nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
13 other systems share Smyth County; 0 of them have a higher latest lead result than Chilhowie, Town Of. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Marion, Town Of | 8,500 | 0 (not detected) |
| Thomas Bridge Water Corp | 3,500 | 2.27 ppb |
| Saltville, Town Of | 2,204 | 0 (not detected) |
| Watsons Gap Water System | 1,892 | 0 (not detected) |
| Rye Valley Water Authority | 1,276 | 0 (not detected) |
| Walker Creek | 1,135 | 0 (not detected) |
| Hutton Branch | 833 | 0 (not detected) |
| Atkins Extension | 597 | 0 (not detected) |
| Poor Valley | 163 | 4.24 ppb |
| South Fork | 150 | - |
Your move
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Chilhowie, VA may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Chilhowie, Town Of whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.