Problems We Found With Virginia Beach's Drinking Water

Analies Dyjak, M.A.  |  Hydroviv Research Analyst
**Updated June 18, 2021 to include current data

Our team of Water Nerds has updated our report of Virginia Beach to include the most recent available data. We aggregated information from the City of Virginia Beach Public Utilities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. We cross reference these data with toxicity studies in the scientific literature and look at upcoming regulatory changes. The water filters that we build for our customers in Virginia Beach are optimized with these data in mind.

Source Of Virginia Beach Drinking Water

Virginia Beach gets its drinking water from Lake Gaston. The water is delivered from Lake Gaston to Lake Prince, where it's then treated and distributed by the city. Lake Gaston provides an average of 34 million gallons per day (MGD) of water to Virginia Beach citizens.

Lead In Virginia Beach Drinking Water

Lead enters the city of Virginia Beach's water through old lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. When corrosion control measures fail (such as what happened in Flint, Michigan), lead leaches into the drinking water and can reach toxic levels. According to the most recent data, the 90th percentile concentration in Virginia Beach is <2 parts per billion. That being said, EPA, CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics all recognize that there is no safe level of lead for children.

Chromium 6 In Virginia Beach Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a highly toxic metal that, while monitored, is not regulated by the EPA. Virginia Beach’s tap water quality recently averaged 71 parts per trillion for chromium 6. For a bit of perspective, Virginia Beach drinking water is 3.5 times higher than the concentration determined to have a negligible impact on cancer risk.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Virginia Beach Drinking Water

DBPs are a category of emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic matter. Although these chemicals are not well regulated, the EPA has concluded that they are associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems.

Still Have Questions About Virginia Beach’s Tap Water?

Hydroviv is a water filtration company that uses water quality data to optimize water filters for each city’s water. The chemicals that we list above are what we consider to be “points of emphasis” so we can build the best water filter for Virginia Beach tap water, but all of our water filters provide broad protection against other contaminants commonly found in drinking water.

If you’re interested in learning more about water filters that have been optimized for Virginia Beach tap water, feel free to visit www.hydroviv.com, reach out by email (hello@hydroviv.com) or through our live chat. We also frequently post water-related news on Twitter or Facebook. We pride ourselves in being a reputable source of information on water quality, and your questions will be answered by scientists, not salespeople (we don't have any salespeople).

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