Norfolk
Hampton Roads' SWIFT project purifies wastewater and injects it deep underground to replenish the Potomac Aquifer, fighting both groundwater depletion and land subsidence on the flood-prone coast.
norfolk, city of
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID VA3710100
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
The Hampton Roads Sanitation District's SWIFT program (Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow) is one of the most ambitious reuse projects on the East Coast. It purifies treated wastewater to drinking-water quality and injects it into the Potomac Aquifer.
The goal is threefold: replenish a heavily drawn-down regional aquifer, slow the land subsidence that worsens flooding in low-lying coastal Virginia, and reduce nutrient discharges into the Chesapeake Bay.
SWIFT shows that reuse is not just a Western drought strategy — on the East Coast it doubles as a tool against subsidence, sea-level rise, and aquifer decline.
At a glance
- SWIFT injects purified water into the Potomac Aquifer
- Combats land subsidence and coastal flooding
- Reduces nutrient loading to the Chesapeake Bay
Statewide drought history
% of Virginia in severe+ drought (Extreme (D3) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Norfolk?
Norfolk's largest water system, NORFOLK, CITY OF, serves about 234,220 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 0 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Norfolk get its water?
NORFOLK, CITY OF draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Virginia's supply from Potomac River, James River, coastal aquifers.
Related water issues
Potable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
ExploreSaltwater Intrusion
As coastal aquifers are over-pumped and seas rise, saltwater pushes inland and contaminates freshwater supplies for cities from Florida to California.
ExploreAging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
Explore