Is Norfolk, VA Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Where Does Norfolk Get Its Water?

Norfolk, VA is served primarily by the City of Norfolk's water system, with a separate system serving Norfolk Naval Base. The city draws its drinking water from surface water sources treated at facilities in and around the Norfolk area.

Two major treatment plants handle the city's water supply: the 37th Street Water Treatment Plant and the Moores Bridges Water Treatment Plant. Both process raw surface water before it reaches your tap.

The Norfolk Naval Base operates its own water system, listed separately in EPA records, with water entering through a designated main entry point. Residential customers in the city are served through the City of Norfolk's system.

How Is Norfolk Tap Water Treated?

Norfolk's water goes through a multi-step treatment process that includes coagulation, which clumps particles together so they can be removed, along with powdered activated carbon, which helps absorb taste and odor compounds and certain contaminants. Deklorination steps are also part of the treatment train to manage chemical balance.

For disinfection, the system uses treatment processes designed to inactivate bacteria and viruses before water leaves the plant. A residual disinfectant remains in the distribution pipes to protect water quality as it travels to your home.

The combination of physical filtration and chemical treatment at both the 37th Street and Moores Bridges plants is designed to meet federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. No advanced treatment specifically targeting PFAS, such as granular activated carbon or reverse osmosis, is documented in the available EPA data.

What's in Norfolk Tap Water?

The most widespread finding in recent EPA sampling is lithium, detected at up to 9 micrograms per liter across all 20 monitored ZIP codes in Norfolk. There is no federally enforceable maximum contaminant level for lithium in drinking water; the 9 µg/L figure sits at the reporting limit and does not exceed any non-regulatory EPA health reference level. No ZIPs registered levels above any guideline threshold.

Several PFAS compounds were also detected at low levels. PFTrDA, a long-chain PFAS, was found at up to 0.007 µg/L. Three additional PFAS substances, including 11Cl-PF3OUdS, 8:2 FTS, and 6:2 FTS, were each detected at up to 0.005 µg/L across all 20 ZIP codes. None of these individual readings exceed EPA's current enforceable limits.

PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals used in industrial and consumer products for decades. They can enter drinking water sources through industrial discharge, firefighting foam, or runoff. The presence of multiple PFAS compounds in Norfolk's water is consistent with national patterns found in surface water supplies, particularly near military and industrial areas.

Health Risk Profile for Norfolk

The PFAS compounds detected in Norfolk's tap water are all below current enforceable federal maximum contaminant levels. EPA finalized enforceable limits for certain PFAS in 2024, and the readings here fall within those thresholds. Lithium detections are at or near the reporting floor and below any non-regulatory health reference benchmark; there is no federal drinking-water MCL for lithium.

Infants, pregnant individuals, and people who are immunocompromised are generally considered more sensitive to trace contaminants in drinking water. For these groups, even low-level PFAS exposure may be worth discussing with a healthcare provider, particularly given that PFAS accumulate in the body over time.

If you want extra protection against PFAS, look for a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 58 (reverse osmosis) or NSF/ANSI P473. NSF/ANSI is an independent third-party certification standard, so seeing it on the box tells you the filter has been tested and verified to reduce specific contaminants. These certifications are the most effective options for PFAS removal at the tap.

For lithium, no filter certification specifically targets it, and at the levels detected here, EPA has not established a health-based action threshold. The science on low-level lithium in drinking water is still developing. For general taste, odor, and chlorine concerns, a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42 is a lower-cost option.