City of Portsmouth, Virginia - Public Utilities

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YOUR TAP WATER comes from a system of four surface lakes and five deep wells.

About source water prior to treatment:

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, that can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm-water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
Pesticides and herbicides that may come from a variety of sources, such as agriculture, urban storm-water runoff, and residential uses.
Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, that are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production and can also come from gas stations, urban storm-water runoff, and septic systems.
Radioactive contaminants that can be naturally occurring or the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
Cryptosporidium is a microbial organism. When ingested, it can cause diarrhea, fever, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. This organism is found in animal wastes and sewage and is washed into rivers and streams when it rains. The best defense against this organism is an effective treatment process, most importantly filtration. Portsmouth’s triple-media filters are successfully removing tiny particles, including particles the same size as these organisms, from our water. We believe that new upgrades to our filtration and treatment process will enable us to achieve even greater particle removal, and thus greater protection from Cryptosporidium.

A word about drinking water...

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly people, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).