Virginians enjoy more than 100,000 miles of streams and rivers, 248 publicly owned lakes, over a million acres of freshwater and coastal wetlands, and over 120 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline. Despite this bounty, the use of Virginia’s water resources must be actively managed to meet all the demands of a diverse, growing and dynamic state.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is responsible for ensuring that all Virginians have access to safe drinking water. They provide a simple and effective regulatory program for waterworks, adapt to new health concerns in drinking water treatment and distribution systems, and provide a means to improve inadequate waterworks.

The Virginia Department of Health has established drinking water standards that are designed to protect public health. These standards are based on the latest scientific research and are updated regularly to reflect new information.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for enforcing the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act in Virginia. The EPA works with the Virginia Department of Health to ensure that drinking water quality standards are met throughout the state.

The Safe Drinking Water Act is a federal law that sets quality standards for the systems that provide Americans with drinking water. The EPA uses a weighted point system to track violations of the law, including contaminants and treatment. This metric measures the number of violation points against public water systems per 1,000 customers served by those systems.

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is responsible for administering state laws and regulations to improve and protect Virginia's streams, rivers, bays, wetlands and ground water for aquatic life, human health and other beneficial water uses. DEQ works with citizens, businesses, local governments and other state and federal agencies to plan and implement strategies and programs that protect Virginia’s water resources. Permits are issued to businesses, industries, local governments, and individuals that take into account physical, chemical and biological standards for water quality. Sustainability and availability of the Commonwealth’s water resources are addressed through regulations and cover water use, water withdrawals and water conservation. The agency also protects the many beneficial uses of these resources, including water supply to aquatic life and recreation. DEQ collects and analyzes data about water usage and the available volumes of surface and groundwater.

Chesapeake Bay:

The Bay's 64,000 square-mile watershed extends into six adjoining states: Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York, plus Washington, D.C.

The largest estuary in the U.S. An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments. Estuaries are subject both to marine influences such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water, and to fluvial influences such as flows of freshwater and sediment. The mixing of seawater and freshwater provides high levels of nutrients both in the water column and in sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world.

Virginians enjoy more than 100,000 miles of streams and rivers, 248 publicly owned lakes, over a million acres of freshwater and coastal wetlands, and over 120 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline. Despite this bounty, the use of Virginia’s water resources must be actively managed to meet all the demands of a diverse, growing and dynamic state.

Drinking Water (C+) and Wastewater (D+)

Virginia has prioritized lead pipe removal from its drinking water network and several counties and major cities have dedicated funds to these projects, including the City of Alexandria which has reduced its lead pipe inventory by 25% over the last four years.. Conditions vary, as the spread of new communities throughout the state includes new pipelines, but Virginia’s oldest neighborhoods have pipelines between the ages of 50 and 65, leading to unpredictable water main breaks and disruptions in service.

The cities of Richmond, Lynchburg, and Alexandria convey their stormwater and sanitary sewage through combined sewer systems, which are designed to overflow to rivers and streams whenever there is significant rainfall, known as Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). CSOs contaminate rivers and waterways with raw, untreated sewage. The three cities have made significant strides to reduce these overflows, closing dozens of CSO outlets and adding storage tanks to wastewater treatment plants to reduce overflows. However, The SWIFT (Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow) program is combatting the depletion of the Potomac Aquifer, eastern Virginia’s primary source of drinking water, by recharging the aquifer with drinking water quality SWIFT Water. Despite this progress, many of Virginia’s wastewater pipelines are reaching the end of their intended design life and more than $6.5 billion in maintenance and replacement costs remain.