The Town of Front Royal says its drinking water met all state and federal health standards during 2025, according to the town’s annual water quality report.

The report, formally known as a Consumer Confidence Report, covers testing completed from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025. According to the town, its water system “has not violated a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality standard,” and the town was in full compliance with water quality and reporting requirements for the year. 

Front Royal draws its drinking water from three surface-water sources: the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, Happy Creek and Sloan Creek. The water is treated at the town’s water treatment facility before being sent through the municipal distribution system. Treatment includes oxidation, coagulation, flocculation, settling, filtration, ultraviolet disinfection, chlorine disinfection, corrosion control and fluoridation. 

The town says water treatment plant operators conduct about 100 tests each day, checking items such as chlorine, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, hardness and fluoride. 

The report does list several detected substances, as federal drinking-water reports are required to do. Detected substances included fluoride, nitrate/nitrite, barium, sodium, chlorine, total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, lead and copper. The report states that none of the listed detections resulted in a violation. 

One item likely to draw attention is an October 2025 E. coli result. The report says E. coli was detected in one sample, but the result was not confirmed by additional samples and did not result in a violation. The town’s table lists the violation status for that item as “No.” 

The report also notes that cryptosporidium, a microbial pathogen found in surface water, was detected in the town’s source water. The town says current testing methods do not determine whether the organisms are dead or capable of causing illness. The report advises people with compromised immune systems to consult their doctors about appropriate precautions. 

Lead and copper testing shown in the report comes from the most recent monitoring period, September 2024. The 90th percentile lead value was listed as less than 2.5 parts per billion, below the 15 ppb action level. One sample exceeded the action level, but the systemwide 90th percentile did not. Copper was also below its action level. 

The town also says it completed the initial federally required service line inventory in October 2024, updated it in December 2025 and has continued to update it since then. Residents may request the latest inventory from the Front Royal Water Treatment Plant. 

Residents with questions about the report or drinking water testing may contact Water Treatment Plant Manager Matthew McDunn at 540-636-7474 or [email protected]. The town says copies of the report are available upon request. 

Plain-English note: The basic takeaway is: the town says the water passed required standards in 2025. The report is not saying “nothing was detected.” It is saying the detected items were either below regulatory limits, not confirmed, or otherwise did not create a violation.

Edited by Dan McDermott.