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Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS AL0001811

Birmingham AL VA Medical Center

Birmingham, Alabama 35233 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 2,500 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,500
People served
51
EPA violations
8
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 51 drinking-water violations at Birmingham AL VA Medical Center, 16% of them health-based - below the Alabama per-system average.

51
Total EPA violations on record
16%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,500
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Birmingham AL VA Medical Center

Birmingham AL VA Medical Center is a federal-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,500 residents in Birmingham, Alabama (Jefferson County) through 1 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 51 total violations for this system , of which 8 (16%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 40 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), recorded in 17 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Alabama, EPA tracks 562 public water systems serving 6,193,356 people, with 40,486 cumulative violations and 3,786 health-based violations on record. About 99% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 72 violations. Statewide, 157 of 306 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (51.3%).

Birmingham AL VA Medical Center's 51 violations sit below the Alabama average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
2,500
Total Violations
51
Health-Based Violations
8
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Federal
Connections
1
County
Jefferson
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
40
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 17 2020
TTHM MR 17 2020
Chlorine dioxide MRDL 8 2015
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2024
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 3 2024

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Birmingham AL VA Medical Center.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID AL0001811 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Alabama Drinking Water Authority

Alabama's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find AL regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2024 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / AL0001811 / 5000
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 3 SDWIS / AL0001811 / 5200
2020 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 17 SDWIS / AL0001811 / 2456
2020 TTHM MR 17 SDWIS / AL0001811 / 2950
2015 Chlorine dioxide MRDL 8 SDWIS / AL0001811 / 1008

How Birmingham AL VA Medical Center Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Birmingham AL VA Medical Center Alabama avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 51 72 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 8 6.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 51.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,500 11,020 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 562 regulated public water systems in Alabama.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Birmingham AL VA Medical Center water safe to drink? ▼
Birmingham AL VA Medical Center (PWS ID: AL0001811) has 51 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,500 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Birmingham AL VA Medical Center serve? ▼
Birmingham AL VA Medical Center serves 2,500 people in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a Federal-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 1 service connections.
What type of violations does Birmingham AL VA Medical Center have? ▼
Birmingham AL VA Medical Center has 51 total violations: 8 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 40 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Birmingham AL VA Medical Center water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Birmingham AL VA Medical Center under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Birmingham AL VA Medical Center use? ▼
Birmingham AL VA Medical Center uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.