Walker Creek, VA
Lead reported as not detected
Latest 90th-percentile lead: reported as 0 (not detected) (monitoring period 2026-2026). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. The latest 90th-percentile result was reported as 0 (not detected at the lab's limit). That says the sampled homes were low, not that your home has no lead service line. Check your utility's service line inventory for your address.
About Walker Creek
Walker Creek serves about 1,135 people through 1,116 service connections, which makes it a small 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: VA1173783; phone on file: 276-783-3298. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2025 (0 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Walker Creek is 2.1 ppb across 6 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2025 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2024 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2023 | 2.1 ppb |
| 2020 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2017 | 0 (not detected) |
Against other Virginia systems
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. Walker Creek's reported as 0 (not detected) sits at the 35th percentile in Virginia and the 27th nationally (higher means more lead). Systems reporting 0 tie at the bottom, so the rank mostly reflects size among them.
Nearby utilities
13 other systems share Smyth County; 3 of them have a higher latest lead result than Walker Creek. 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) |
| Chilhowie, Town Of | 4,625 | 8.4 ppb |
| 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) |
| Hutton Branch | 833 | 0 (not detected) |
| Atkins Extension | 597 | 0 (not detected) |
| Poor Valley | 163 | 4.24 ppb |
| South Fork | 150 | - |
Your move
Look up your address in Walker Creek's service line inventory. If it says lead, galvanized or unknown, test your tap. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Walker Creek 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. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. A zero today does not rule out a jump later - the rules are tightening in 2027.