Burke Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Burke, Virginia, an unincorporated community in Fairfax County — a major Northern Virginia suburban community southwest of Washington DC on the Springfield–Burke corridor, adjacent to Burke Lake Park and the South Run District Park, a primarily federal government employee and military contractor community, and one of the most affluent and well-educated communities in Fairfax County — draws its municipal water supply from the Potomac River and Occoquan Reservoir via Fairfax Water. Water hardness in Burke measures 89 mg/L — classified as moderately soft.

Burke's moderate softness — considerably softer than Annandale (196.5 mg/L) in the same county — reflects Fairfax Water's effective treatment and the Burke distribution zone's infrastructure characteristics. Fairfax Water draws from the Potomac River at the Griffith Water Treatment Plant and the Occoquan Reservoir at the Corbalis Water Treatment Plant (the Potomac drains the Blue Ridge and Piedmont — calcareous-moderate; the Occoquan drains the Triassic Culpeper Basin and Piedmont — calcareous-moderate). Fairfax Water applies extensive treatment, and the Burke distribution zone (primarily 1970s–1990s Northern Virginia suburban buildout) produces the moderate 89 mg/L.

With hardness at 89 mg/L, Burke residents enjoy moderately soft water. Fairfax Water consistently delivers water meeting all Virginia DEQ and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.