Hampton Roads Regional Source Water Protection Plan
Hampton Roads municipal water utilities are committed to protecting the region's drinking water sources. The Hampton Roads Regional Source Water Protection Plan (PDF) summarizes risks to municipal source water quality, existing regional source water protection measures, and potential protection and management strategies for future implementation. The regional source water protection plan aims to focus protection efforts to minimize the risk of contamination and to ensure that high-quality drinking water is delivered to the public.
Source Water Assessment Inventory
Originally, the inventory was developed by the Virginia Department of Health in 2003 as a requirement of the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. This initial inventory included maps illustrating potential sources of contamination (PSC) to drinking water sources (or source water) across the region, including petroleum storage tanks, superfund sites, industrial sites, and more. Since this initial inventory, HRPDC staff worked to update, expand, and prioritize the inventory based on risk to source water in order to better manage these source water systems.
The PSC maps were distributed to all utilities in Hampton Roads. The inventory of PSC is updated by HRPDC staff annually and reviewed with the Directors of Utilities Committee, which serves as the Source Water Protection Committee for the region.
By identifying PSC that could impact water supplies, utilities can contact the owners of sites or facilities with PSC to encourage safe storage or maintenance practices. Additionally, the PSC inventory and map improve rapid communication of potential contamination incidents and help utilities determine whether drinking water sources might be impacted. Additionally, this assessment improves rapid communication if there is a spill and awareness of which drinking water sources might be impacted.
Contact Us
For additional information about available data, contact Ivy Ozmon by e-mail, or phone at 757-420-8300.