Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4258 in cooperation
with The City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities
By Barry S. Smith Population and tourism continues to grow in
Virginia Beach, Virginia, but the supply of freshwater is
limited. A pipeline from Lake Gaston supplies water for northern
Virginia Beach, but ground water is widely used to water lawns
in the north, and most southern areas of the city rely solely on
ground water. Water from depths greater than 60 meters generally
is too saline to drink. Concentrations of chloride, iron, and
manganese exceed drinking-water standards in some areas. The
U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Virginia
Beach, Department of Public Utilities, investigated the shallow
aquifer system of the southern watersheds to determine the
distribution of fresh ground water, its potential uses, and its
susceptibility to Aquifers and confining units of the southern
watersheds were delineated and chloride concentrations in the
aquifers and confining