Water Service Outages in Virginia by City
86% of Virginia's 1,056 community water systems serve 3,300 people or fewer, so many outages and boil water notices affect a single small town or subdivision.
Virginia drinking water record
Busiest year: 2024 (95 violations). Counted by the year the violation period began. Source: EPA SDWIS.
- Community water systems: 1,056 active systems serve about 7,446,446 people. 904 of them (86%) serve 3,300 people or fewer; 683 draw mainly on groundwater and 314 on surface water.
- Health-based violations since 2015: 739, at 163 systems (15% of all systems). That share is 7th of 50 states (1 = lowest).
- Most common problems: contaminant averages over the limit (601); uncertified operators (28); coliform treatment technique (22). Source: EPA SDWIS
- Largest system: Fairfax County Water Authority, about 1,121,613 people, with 0 health-based violations since 2015. Source: EPA SDWIS
- Housing age: the median Virginia home was built in 1984 (US 1980). Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25035)
- Storm damage to water service: NOAA storm narratives mention water mains, boil water notices or lost water service in 8 episodes in Virginia since 2015. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- February 1, 2025, Russell (flood): “Flooding along the Clinch River, impacting the water treatment plant in Cleveland.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- September 27, 2024, Giles (flood): “The water treatment plant in Narrows was surrounded by water as well.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
| System | People served | Main source | Health violations since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County Water Authority | 1,121,613 | Surface water | 0 |
| Virginia Beach, City Of | 437,994 | Bought surface water | 0 |
| Newport News, City Of | 407,300 | Surface water | 0 |
| Chesterfield Co Central Water System | 389,897 | Surface water | 0 |
| Loudoun Water - Central System | 334,808 | Surface water | 0 |
| Henrico County Water System | 330,000 | Surface water | 0 |
Source: EPA SDWIS.
Virginia is 1st of 6 (1 = lowest share). Source: EPA SDWIS.
Checked September 2026.
Who to call in Virginia, city by city
10 Virginia cities on this site and the water utility for each. What to do while you wait is in our water service outage guide.
- Virginia Beach Virginia Beach Public Utilities
- Chesapeake Chesapeake Public Utilities
- Norfolk Norfolk Department of Utilities
- Richmond Richmond Department of Public Utilities
- Newport News Newport News Waterworks
- Alexandria Virginia American Water
- Hampton Newport News Waterworks
- Roanoke Western Virginia Water Authority
- Portsmouth City of Portsmouth Utilities
- Suffolk City of Suffolk Public Utilities
Frequently asked questions
Is there a water service outage in Virginia right now?
Possibly: 1 report from Virginia on this site in the last 24 hours. Open your city to see where.
How many public water systems are in Virginia?
EPA records list 1,056 active community water systems in Virginia, serving about 7,446,446 people. 86% serve 3,300 people or fewer.
How common are drinking water violations in Virginia?
Since 2015, 163 of 1,056 community water systems in Virginia (15%) have had at least one health-based violation, 739 in total.
What is the largest water system in Virginia?
Fairfax County Water Authority, which EPA records list as serving about 1,121,613 people.
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
Cities in Virginia with Water Service Outages Information
Alexandria
1 report in the last 24 hours · pop. 159,467
Virginia American Water
Chesapeake
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 249,422
Chesapeake Public Utilities
Hampton
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 137,148
Newport News Waterworks
Newport News
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 179,225
Newport News Waterworks
Norfolk
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 242,803
Norfolk Department of Utilities
Portsmouth
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 96,205
City of Portsmouth Utilities
Richmond
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 230,436
Richmond Department of Public Utilities
Roanoke
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 100,011
Western Virginia Water Authority
Suffolk
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 94,224
City of Suffolk Public Utilities
Virginia Beach
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 459,470
Virginia Beach Public Utilities