"Reducing Rainwater in the Sanitary Sewer System-Portsmouth"
High Priority Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Program (GN020300)
Webpage Reviewed: April 3, 2026
HRSD is undertaking a project to identify, design, and construct important improvements in your community to help reduce the amount of rainwater that gets into the sanitary sewer system through inflow and infiltration. This project will include rehabilitating and replacing damaged public sanitary sewer pipes, service lateral connections, and manholes along with a limited number of privately-owned sanitary sewer systems as part of a voluntary private inflow and infiltration program. The result of this work will help reduce the occurrence of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) caused by rainfall events, protecting public health and our region’s waterways.
HRSD will assess the sanitary sewer systems in the project areas identified in the Regional Wet Weather Management Plan (RWWMP), located in Chesapeake, James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Williamsburg, and York County. Working in collaboration with Locality Partners and private landowners, HRSD will identify and reduce the volume of SSOs through the cost-effective reduction of Inflow and Infiltration. This Program is part of HRSD’s Consent Decree with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Early work includes collecting public and privately-owned sanitary sewer system condition assessment data, evaluating rainfall and sewer flows, and reviewing the data to determine where rainwater and groundwater may be entering these sanitary sewer systems and contributing to sewer overflows. The data will also be used to identify and prioritize potential future inflow and infiltration reduction project work areas and implementation schedules. Data collection activities may involve sewer flow monitoring, smoke testing of the sanitary sewer systems, closed-circuit television (CCTV) inspections of public and private sewers and service laterals, dye testing, and manhole inspections. Once all data is collected, the project team will determine which repairs will be more cost-effective than transporting and treating the associated rainwater and groundwater. The project team will then design and construct the recommended improvements. When complete, these projects will reduce the volume of SSOs into our local waterways.
Please use the map below to view work that is currently occurring in your area.