Your Drinking Water:

It's

Safe.

Portsmouth’s water surpasses all standards.

Drinking water produced by the City of Portsmouth’s Department of Public Utilities surpasses all current standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We are preparing to surpass future standards well before they are in place.

Portsmouth’s water quality is constantly monitored.

Water quality is monitored continuously at our water treatment facility. We also test the water quality once it leaves our plant by sampling water at 100 locations throughout the City.

Portsmouth protects its water after it leaves the plant.

Our backflow prevention program maintains the water quality in the distribution system pipes. It is recognized by the Virginia Department of Health as one of the Commonwealth’s most stringent programs.

Portsmouth is committed to the best possible performance.

We participate in EPA’s national, voluntary Partnership for Safe Water (PSW) program. PSW is a cooperative effort between EPA and a variety of other organizations. It strives to help water providers continuously evaluate and improve the performance of their drinking water systems.

It's

Reliable.

Groundwater and surface water sources provide adequate supply.

Our water supply includes four surface water reservoirs and five deep wells for groundwater. Our combination of groundwater and surface water keeps us from being dependent on only one source.

Ongoing investments mean continued reliable service.

To help maintain our investment and keep the system safe and reliable, we plan upgrades and improvements to our:

• 350 miles of water pipe
• 2,500 fire hydrants
• 3 pumping stations
• 12,000 valves
• 5 water towers
• 31,000 meters
• 4 ground-level tanks

Soon

It Will Be Even Better!

Surface water source protection guards against accidental spills in the water
supply lakes.

A comprehensive source water protection program is nearing completion. This program identifies and tracks industries that store and use hazardous materials within our watershed. This allows routine inspections and promotes safe handling of materials to better safeguard the water supply.

Improving water quality is an ongoing effort.

In response to concerns that have been raised about the long-term health effects of chlorine as a disinfectant (a common utility practice), we plan to change the disinfectant in our distribution system in 2000. Preparations for this change are currently under way. You will receive more information about this change in the coming months.