Is Midlothian Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Yes, tap water is drinkable.

Tap Safe includes data from many publicly available sources, including the WHO (World Health Organization), CDC (Center for Disease Control), and user submitted databases, but unfortunately there's not enough data about Midlothian.

To see user submitted ratings of the water quality for Virginia, see the "User Submitted Ratings" box on this page.

Yes, Midlothian’s tap water is generally considered safe to drink as it met the EPA’s water quality mandates in its 2020 Water Quality Report. From April 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021 Midlothian’s Chesterfield County Central Water System has had no Safe Drinking Water Act Violation. One should not get sick from drinking Midlothian tap water. 

Though Midlothian’s tap water is generally safe to drink, one should consider the possible safety impacts of low levels of regulated contaminants, unregulated contaminants, and water quality issues caused by severe weather.

While Midlothian’s tap water is generally safe to drink, long-term residents may consider using water filters for their everyday drinking, as the EPA is still assessing the health impacts of long-term exposure to certain contaminants that they do not yet have regulations for, and long term exposure to certain contaminants which are already regulated, but below the currently acceptable levels. 

Where Does Midlothian Tap Water Come From?

According to Mission Viejo’s 2020 Water Quality Report, Chesterfield County Central Water System obtains water for its customers from several sources:

Chesterfield County Utilities Department customers are fortunate because their water is supplied by three sources. These sources assure adequate water supply well into the 21st century. The three sources that provide Chesterfield County’s potable water are Swift Creek Reservoir, Lake Chesdin, and the James River. An average of 36.5 million gallons of water per day, or mgd, was treated and delivered from these three water supplies in 2020. 

Swift Creek Reservoir

The Department of Utilities owns and operates the AddisonEvans Water Production and Laboratory Facility (AEWPLF), located on Swift Creek Reservoir. This facility has a capacity of 12 mgd and produced an average of 4.8 mgd. 

Lake Chesdin

The county is one of five members of the Appomattox River Water Authority, located on Lake Chesdin. The county has a daily allocation of 66.54 mgd from the authority and received an average of 22.6 mgd from the facility. 

James River

The third water source is the James River, which supplies the treatment facility owned and operated by the city of Richmond. This plant provides water to Richmond and to Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, and Henrico. The county’s contract with the city assures an available supply of 27 mgd. An average of 9.1 mgd of drinking water was received from the James River in 2020.

Main Contaminants Found in Midlothian Tap Water

As we mentioned above, Midlothian tap water meets the requirements set by the EPA. For more precise information please see their 2020 Water Quality Report. Though Midlothian drinking water meets EPA standards that does not mean it is contaminant free as there are levels that the EPA considers acceptable. Though the EPA regulated contaminants must meet a certain threshold for the city’s water to be deemed acceptable, many are still present in the drinking water at some level. The EPA continues to evaluate the long term impacts of these chemicals as more research is available. For example, the rules around arsenic, as well as, lead and copper are currently being re-evaluated.

Additionally, there are a number of “emerging” contaminants that the EPA has not determined acceptable levels for and is currently researching. For example, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), for which the EPA has issued a health advisory. PFAS are also called ‘forever chemicals’ since they tend not to break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time. We do not yet fully understand the dangers of PFAS as they are currently being investigated. We do not have any information on PFAS in Midlothian’s drink water, so there may be a risk of contamination.

Lead piping is another potential source of contamination for many homes, both through service lines and in your home. The National Resource Defense Council has a great walk-through on how to determine if you may have lead service lines.

So while Midlothian’s tap water does meet the requirements set by the EPA, it still makes sense to try to purify the tap water further to reduce contaminants to lower levels.