Newport News Waterworks is committed to providing a reliable supply of high-quality water to our customers. Your drinking water is treated and tested using state-of-the-art equipment and advanced procedures, and it meets state and federal standards for quality.

We hope you will take a moment to view the 2008 Annual Water Quality Report (1,521 kb) as well as the expanded version of the Water Quality Report (22 kb).  If you have any questions or comments please contact us at (757) 926-1000.

How is our drinking water treated? Waterworks treats both surface water and brackish groundwater. The surface water is pumped from our reservoirs to our treatment plants.  The water passes through screens and then aluminum sulfate (alum) and polymer are added.  These chemicals cause tiny particles in the water to cling together (coagulation), making the particles easier to remove.  After the water is clarified, ozone or chlorine (disinfection) is added to kill microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.  The water is then sent through filters to remove any remaining particles (filtration).  Lime is added to adjust the pH, fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay in children, and zinc orthophosphate is added to control corrosion inside the pipe system.  Finally, chloramines, the secondary disinfectant, are added to maintain disinfection through the pipe system to your home or business. 

The brackish groundwater is pumped to our desalination plant located at our Lee Hall facility.  Using a process called reverse osmosis, water is forced by high pressure through membranes that can remove the salt and most other contaminants to produce very high-quality water.  The water is blended with treated surface water and sent to our customers.