Two drinking water reservoirs located in New Kent County are owned and operated by Newport News Waterworks. However, all New Kent County residents are dependent upon groundwater from wells for their drinking water.
New Kent Public Utilities provides potable water for over 2,400 customers, from 25 deep production wells at 13 separate water systems. Competition for groundwater resources in Eastern Virginia is extremely high, and obtaining surface water withdrawals are lengthy and expensive processes. Computer modeling of the groundwater withdrawals in Eastern Virginia indicate that groundwater is being consumed at a rate which is greater than the rate of recharge. Accordingly, New Kent holds 11 separate Groundwater Withdrawal Permits with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).