Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Virginia, USA – Operating Groundwater Augmentation
SWIFT is an innovative water treatment project in eastern Virginia designed to further protect the region’s environment, enhance the sustainability of the region’s long-term groundwater supply and help address environmental pressures such as Chesapeake Bay restoration, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion.
SWIFT takes highly treated water (final effluent) that would otherwise be discharged into the Elizabeth, James or York rivers and puts it through additional rounds of advanced water treatment to meet drinking water quality standards. The SWIFT Water is then added to the Potomac Aquifer, the primary source of groundwater throughout eastern Virginia.
SWIFT is currently replenishing the Potomac aquifer with up to one million gallons (3.79 million litres) of SWIFT Water™ per day at its SWIFT Research Center, co-located at HRSD’s Nansemond Treatment Plant in Suffolk, Virginia. The first full-scale facility is currently under construction at HRSD’s James River Treatment Plant in Newport News, Virginia. Once complete in late 2026, it will have the capability of replenishing the aquifer with up to 16 million gallons (60 million litres) of SWIFT Water™ daily.
The second full-scale SWIFT facility which will produce up to 34 million gallons (128 million litres) of SWIFT Water™ per day will be constructed at HRSD’s Nansemond Treatment Plant. The plant is currently undergoing Advanced Nutrient Reduction Improvements as the first step in the process.
Related resources:
Virtual Tour available at here
SWIFT Research Center: What is the Potomac Aquifer video