13 URBAN SERVICES

Drinking Water

Newport News Waterworks (Public Utilities) provides drinking water for Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, York county and parts of James City County.  Waterworks serves almost 500,000 customers and is the third largest water utility in Virginia.

Drinking Water Availability

Waterworks began working with the Peninsula communities in 1987 to determine future water supply needs.  Over 30 options for increased supply were analysed. The most cost effective and environmentally acceptable approach was: (1) Expanded water conservation (25 percent of future water supply); Fresh and brackish groundwater (15 percent of future water supply); and, a new reservoir in King William County (60% of future water supply.)

Waterworks forecasts indicate with water conservation measures in place and 5.7 million gallons per day (mgd) from brackish groundwater sources, a water supply deficit would occur and additional water will be needed to meet regional demands. The report Lower Virginia Peninsula Regional Raw Water Supply Plan, Water Needs Assessment 2000-2050 determined that the Peninsula’s communities would need an additional 22 to 27 million gallons of water per day by 2050. In July 2005, General Meredith Temple, Commander of the North Atlantic Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers stated, “there is a need for a reliable, dependable, additional water supply to be available to the Lower Virginia Peninsula within the 2015-2040 time frame”.

The need estimates assumed that efforts to control water demand through conservation and demand management would occur. First, flow certifications will require business and industrial users as well as multi-family developments, customers, and developers to describe their water needs, and usage patterns, to include minimum, peak and average flows. Flow certifications are required for. Waterworks may not accept a customer request if it cannot certify that water can be provided to meet new customer demand. If demand for water accelerates or a severe drought occurs, a total moratorium on new connections may occur. 

Water Conservation

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) pools intellectual and financial resources to promote a water-wise ethic through Hampton Roads Water Efficiency Team (HR WET).  This involves residents, business, industry, and commercial water users. In 2001, HR WET ran an ad campaign to reach the public to use water wisely. In 2007, they began an EPA program “WaterSense,” to promote reduced water consumption.

Waterworks saves over a billion gallons of water annually by recycling water in the treatment plant process, reducing distribution system pressure, and a leak detection and pipeline repair and replacement program.

A Water Conservation Management Plan and Water Conservation Ordinance were updated in 2006.  They include lessons learned from the drought of 2002. The plan has ongoing water conservation and internal programs to increase Waterworks' efficiency. The plan contains measures for managing the water supply during emergencies; including moratoriums on new connections in severe emergencies.  Under the plan, the reuse of wastewater for non-consumptive uses are explored, for industrial purposes and commercial landscape irrigation.

Development of Additional Supplies

Groundwater Development

In addition to the promotion of wise-water use as a segment of future water supply, Waterworks built a brackish groundwater desalinization plant that became operational in 1998. This plant can supply 5.7 million gallons daily of water from groundwater treated through reverse osmosis and blended with treated water. Development of groundwater will meet 15% of future water supply needs. However, groundwater is a limited resource.  The entire Peninsula is in a Groundwater Management Area administered by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) that can limit it's future use.

Additional Water Supply

The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the King William Reservoir project was issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1997. The report culminated years of scientific and engineering work addressing need, environmental impacts, alternatives, and mitigation of impacts relating to the development of water supplies for the Peninsula. The King William Reservoir Project is the least environmentally damaging project that can meet the bulk of the region's long term water supply need. It is the largest part of the region's future water supply strategy, because the reservoir will provide for 60% of the region’s future water supply needs.

All permits needed for the project have been received.  The primary state permit, a Virginia Water Protection Permit (VWPP) issued in 1997 by the Virginia State Water Control Board, will need to be renewed before construction can begin in 2012. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission permit was received in 2004, which allows the intake to be constructed within the State-owned river bottom.  The Corps of Engineers’ construction permit was received in November 2005.When completed in 2018, the reservoir will supply approximately 24 million gallons per day of additional water to the Lower Peninsula, King William and New Kent counties.

Reservoir Protection

Because future water supply projections must assume existing water sources and reservoirs will remain viable well into the 21st Century, reservoir protection is a necessity.

The use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) protects City reservoirs. BMPs were prescribed by the Three Phase Reservoir Protection Study produced by Camp, Dresser and McKee, in 1985 and 1986. Watershed Protection Improvement Projects that reduce the input of nutrients and other pollutants entering the reservoir are drainage diversion, buffer land acquisition, and wet pond construction. In 1987, the Newport News City Council adopted a Reservoir Protection Ordinance that controls non-point source pollution from development that drains to the City's water supply reservoirs. A permitting system established by the ordinance, requires that post development runoff create no more contaminants than pre-development runoff.

A special fund created by Newport News City Council is used to acquire additional lands to protect the City’s drinking water reservoirs.  Funding comes from the sale of surplus Waterworks owned lands that do not drain into the reservoir and other arrangements, including the lease of watershed lands to York County for recreation.

Affordable Water Rates

In 2005, City Council asked Waterworks to investigate affordability of water/wastewater. A cost less than two percent of median household income is considered affordable by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Waterworks' average residential customer, used 900 cubic feet per month (hcf/mo), and pays one to one and a half percent of their median household income.  The median residential customer uses 6 hcf/mo and pays one percent or less of median household income for water/wastewater. 

Alternative methods of rate design were studied that might improve fixed and low-income households' ability to pay. The end result was the “Lifeline rate”, which became effective on July 1, 2007, and applies to 108,500 metered residential customers.  The first 6 hcf/mo (75 gal per day) is billed 5-10 percent lower than the “normal rate".  Consumption above the 6 hcf/mo allowance would be billed at the “normal rate”.