Chesapeake's drinking water comes from three primary water systems, depending on where you live in the city. The City also purchases treated water from neighboring utilities to provide reliable service throughout the region.

Northwest River Water Treatment Plant – Treats water from the Northwest River and supplemental groundwater wells, primarily serving southern Chesapeake.

Lake Gaston Water Treatment Plant – Treats regional water supplied through the Lake Gaston system to help meet Chesapeake's growing water demands.

Regional Water Purchases – Some neighborhoods receive treated drinking water purchased from the Cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth as part of Chesapeake's regional water supply network.

Chesapeake's drinking water meets all federal and state drinking water standards and complies with EPA regulations. Like most municipal water systems, however, it contains chlorine disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, naturally occurring minerals, and trace levels of regulated contaminants.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Chesapeake's water contains detectable levels of chlorine disinfection byproducts, including trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). EWG identifies several of these contaminants as potential long-term health concerns, including increased cancer risk, based on its own health guidelines, even though they comply with current federal drinking water regulations.

The bottom line is that Chesapeake's water is about as safe as a municipal water system can reasonably deliver to your home's tap. Many homeowners still choose whole home water filtration and reverse osmosis because meeting drinking water standards isn't the same as optimizing water quality or reducing long-term exposure to certain contaminants.

Chesapeake uses chemicals to disinfect its drinking water to eliminate harmful bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms before it enters the public water system. This treatment is essential to delivering safe drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people every day.

The tradeoff is that chlorine reacts with naturally occurring organic matter in the water, creating disinfection byproducts such as trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). These compounds are found in municipal water systems throughout the United States.

The reality is that Chesapeake's water is about as safe as a municipal water system can reasonably deliver from the treatment plant, through miles of pipes, and to your tap. 

The only practical way to further reduce chlorine, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, fluoride, and other contaminants is with a whole home water filtration system and reverse osmosis at the point of use inside your home.

Yes. Chesapeake's drinking water meets all federal and state drinking water standards and is considered safe for public consumption. The City's treatment process is designed to protect against bacteria, viruses, and other immediate public health risks while delivering reliable drinking water to homes throughout the community.

Many homeowners, however, are looking for more than water that simply meets minimum regulatory standards. They want cleaner-tasting drinking water, fewer chlorine byproducts, reduced exposure to certain contaminants, and better water for cooking, beverages, bathing, and everyday household use. That's why many families choose whole home water filtration and reverse osmosis systems as an additional layer of treatment inside the home.

No. Chesapeake's municipal water generally falls within the soft water range, so most homes do not need a water softener. Unlike many areas of Virginia, hard water scale and mineral buildup are typically not major concerns for homeowners on city water.

For most Chesapeake homes, a whole home water filtration system paired with an under-sink or bottleless reverse osmosis system provides the best balance of water quality, taste, and long-term performance. If your home is supplied by a private well, however, your water may have completely different characteristics and should be evaluated separately.

Yes. Even if Chesapeake's water leaves the treatment plant in excellent condition, it must travel through miles of public water mains and your home's plumbing before reaching your tap. The age and condition of those pipes can influence the taste, appearance, and overall quality of your water.

Older homes may have galvanized plumbing, aging copper pipes, or lead service lines that can affect water quality. A professionally installed whole home water filtration system and reverse osmosis system help provide an additional layer of protection at the point where your family actually uses and drinks the water.

We encourage homeowners to review both the City of Chesapeake's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Tap Water Database. Together, these resources provide information about your local water source, detected contaminants, treatment methods, and current water quality testing results.

If you'd like help understanding what the reports mean for your home, Patriot Water Systems offers free water consultations and can recommend the right filtration system based on your local water quality and your family's needs.

Well water is very different from municipal water and should be evaluated separately. Depending on your water source, well water may contain iron, sulfur, sediment, hard water minerals, bacteria, or other naturally occurring contaminants that require a customized treatment system.

We recommend certified laboratory testing of your well water before selecting a treatment system. Patriot Water Systems uses those results to design a customized filtration solution based on your water quality and your family's needs, ensuring you get the right system instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.