Reston
Reston, VA water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Reston is a small but growing city and the 19th-largest in Virginia, home to roughly 58,404 residents. Reston's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Virginia: Potomac River, James River, and coastal aquifers.
As elsewhere in Virginia, the central challenge is saltwater intrusion. Hampton Roads' SWIFT project injects purified water into the Potomac Aquifer to fight both depletion and land subsidence — a leading East Coast reuse effort.
Virginia reuses an estimated 21% of its treated wastewater and maintains developing reuse programs; Reston tracks severe to extreme drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Virginia profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Reston below.
At a glance
- Population ~58,404 (19th-largest in Virginia)
- Primary sources: Potomac River, James River, and coastal aquifers
- Drought: severe to extreme conditions
- State reuse rate: ~21% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Virginia in severe+ drought (Extreme (D3) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Reston?
Reston is served by community water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Statewide, 15.1% of Virginia's systems have a recent health-based violation. Check your provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report for local results.
Where does Reston get its water?
Reston draws from the same regional sources that serve Virginia: Potomac River, James River, coastal aquifers.
Related water issues
Saltwater 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.
ExplorePotable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
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