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City of Newport News
Back River and Warwick River Bacteria TMDL Action Plan
2024-2029 Permit Cycle
• Chapter 44 – Wetlands
• Chapter 45 – Zoning Ordinance
• Appendix B – Subdivision Regulations
These ordinances are publicly accessible through the City of Newport News Code of Ordinances
website: https://library.municode.com/va/newport_news/codes/code_of_ordinances
The City of Newport News and VDH entered into a reciprocal septic tank enforcement agreement
on November 28, 2017, outlining procedures for five-year pump-out compliance. As septic
system prevalence in the City continues to decline through the septic tank reduction program,
coordination with VDH will focus on efficient tracking and enforcement of the remaining systems
in impaired watersheds.
3.2 Sanitary Sewer System Improvements
The Department of Public Works maintains the municipal sanitary sewer collection system and
inspects at least 55,000 linear feet of sanitary sewer each year; inspection totals are reported in
the MS4 annual report. Staff routinely monitor for pipe failures, blockages, and pump station
issues, and replace or rehabilitate aging infrastructure to prevent sanitary sewer overflows
(SSOs). Under the 2007 Consent Order with DEQ and HRSD, the City has implemented a targeted
infiltration and inflow reduction program to eliminate excess groundwater and rainwater from
entering the sewer system, significantly reducing SSO frequency.
Staff from the Departments of Codes Compliance, Engineering, and Public Works coordinate to
ensure that all private SSOs are promptly addressed and repaired. City staff provide Private
Sanitary Sewer Overflows door hangers with instructions for the private property owner to
contact an emergency plumber immediately, and violations may be issued by Codes Compliance
or Engineering. Faulty plumbing issues that pose a threat to human health are reported to the
Virginia Department of Health, and if state waters are impacted, to DEQ via the online PREP
reporting tool.
3.3 Septic Tank Reduction Program
All new buildings are required to connect to the public sewer if reasonably available (defined by
distance from the sewer infrastructure). The Department of Engineering and Public Works
collaborate to extend sewer service to areas previously unsewered, in order to reduce the
number of septic tanks across the City. Existing homes on septic tanks may continue to use their
septic systems until those systems malfunction or are in need of replacement; at that point, the
ordinance requires the connection to public sewer.
In 2023, the Department of Engineering was awarded two septic reduction grants from DEQ. The
Sewer Collection System grant for the James River Force Main and Septic Conversion project willJump to an indexed page (17 of 17)