Project Title Virginia Beach Shallow Ground-Water Study Location Virginia Beach Cooperating Agency City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities  Project Chief Jack Eggleston Period of Project 1996 to present Ground-water Data Real-Time Data Periodic Data Publications Ground-Water Level and Ground-Water Quality Records, Water Year 2005 for Virginia  (PDF)

Virginia Beach Shallow Ground-Water Study

Monitoring Wells

Land Use   Groundwater Pumping Study

The purpose of the Virginia Beach shallow aquifer study is to better understand the distribution of fresh ground water, its susceptibility to contamination, and its sustainability as a long-term water supply.

Virginia Beach Water Resources
Virginia Beach is a growing city in southeastern Virginia with a limited supply of fresh water. Most of the city’s drinking water, up to 45 million gallons per day, comes from Lake Gaston. The Lake Gaston pipeline supplies water for the northern half of Virginia Beach, but the southern rural boroughs rely solely on ground water (Johnson, 1999).
 

Monitoring Wells: Interactive Map

Ongoing Studies
Shallow Ground-water Use - Northern Virginia Beach

The city of Virginia Beach has an interest in preserving the limited supply of water in the shallow aquifers for drinking, irrigation, lawn watering, heat pumps, and potentially for desalination. In the Northern part of the city, private wells primarily provide water for irrigation, car washing, pool filling, and other seasonal uses. Supplies of ground water are limited, however, because of high concentrations of iron, manganese, chloride and (or) sulfide ions in some areas. At depths greater than approximately 150 to 200 ft, the water is generally too saline to drink or use for irrigation.

A study of water use in northern Virginia Beach is ongoing. Seasonal water use will be estimated by applying water use methods developed by the USGS. 

Reports: Expected in 2007

Aquifer Simulation

Reports: Smith, 2003, Smith, 2005

Geologic Characterization

Reports: Smith and Harlow, 2002

Ground-Water Monitoring

A water-level and water-quality network (map of periodic wells) has been established in the city and includes a growing number of continuous wells that measure ground-water levels every 15 minutes (map of continuous wells).

In 2004, the USGS and the Virginia Department of Public Utilities expanded the observation-well network and simulated ground-water pumping from the shallow aquifers in the Transition Area. In 2005 and 2006, more continuous-record wells including "real-time" water-level monitors were added to the network. In 2007 new probes will be added to two wells for measuring temperature and salinity.