Frequently Asked Questions

Occasionally, water can turn brown and rusty in color when iron particles are disturbed and carried with your water. This problem is temporary and generally not harmful. Please see the complete answer for greater detail.

Occasionally, customers of the Norfolk Water System including citizens in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake may notice a difference in the taste or smell of their drinking water. Bad tasting or smelling water is most often caused by an excessive growth of algae in the City's reservoirs. These algae give off certain natural substances that cause the water to taste or smell different than you are used to. For more information about this problem, please visit the complete answer page.

This problem is often caused by a faulty dip tube. To learn more about this problem, please see the complete answer page.

The milky look of water is usually the result of very tiny air bubbles in the water. For more information, please see the complete answer page.

Pink residue is generally not a problem with water quality. In fact, pink residue is likely a result of airborne bacteria which produce a pinkish or dark gray film on regularly moist surfaces. Such surfaces include toilet bowls, shower heads, sink drains, and tiles. Find out more about this problem on the complete answer page.

If you would like your private well water tested and you live in Norfolk, give us a call at 757-441-5678 and we'll tell you how to collect the sample and the type of container to use. The testing is free to Norfolk citizens. Learn more about our water testing process on the Well Testing page.