Norfolk is the oldest and most densely built city in Hampton Roads. Homes in Ghent date to the early 1900s. Parts of West Freemason have plumbing running through structures built in the 1800s. Even the “newer” neighborhoods like Ocean View and East Beach sit at some of the lowest elevations on the East Coast, surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay, the Elizabeth River, and the Lafayette River on nearly every side.
That combination of age, density, and water exposure creates plumbing challenges that most cities simply don’t face. Here’s what our team at Newman’s Plumbing Service & Repair sees most often when we work in Norfolk homes — and what you should watch for in yours.
1. Lead Service Lines — Norfolk Is Actively Replacing 800+
This isn’t hypothetical. The City of Norfolk has identified over 71,000 service lines within city limits and confirmed that more than 800 contain lead and need replacement. This is part of a nationwide EPA mandate requiring all water systems to inventory and replace lead pipes within the next decade.
The city is handling the public side — the line from the main to your meter. But the line from the meter into your home is your responsibility. In older neighborhoods like Ghent, Colonial Place, Larchmont-Edgewater, and Park Place, many homes still have original service lines that may contain lead solder, galvanized steel, or lead pipe sections that were never upgraded.
You can check whether your address is affected through Norfolk’s Department of Utilities. If your home was built before 1986 and you’re unsure about your private-side line, a licensed plumber can inspect and test it.
What to do: If your home has a lead or galvanized service line on the private side, a water line replacement eliminates the contamination source permanently. Partial solutions like flushing the line before drinking don’t address the root cause.
2. Tidal Flooding and Sewer Backups
Norfolk experiences tidal flooding more frequently than almost any city on the East Coast. It’s not just hurricane season — regular moon tides, nor’easters, and heavy rain events push water into low-lying streets and overwhelm the sewer system.
Neighborhoods along the Elizabeth River — including Ghent, West Ghent, and the Downtown/Freemason area — see recurring street flooding that backs up into sanitary sewer laterals. Ocean View and East Ocean View face bay-side surge. Even inland areas like Norview and Berkley sit low enough to experience chronic drainage issues.
Norfolk’s Department of Utilities asks homeowners to call them first before calling a plumber for sewer problems — if the blockage is in the city’s infrastructure, they’ll clear it at no cost. But if the problem is in your private lateral, that’s on you.
What to do: If you’ve had a sewer backup during a rain event, get your lateral camera-inspected. Cracks and joint separations that allow groundwater infiltration get worse every season. A proactive sewer line repair or replacement prevents the next backup from ruining your floors, drywall, and belongings.
3. Century-Old Drain Lines in Historic Neighborhoods
Norfolk has some of the oldest residential housing stock in Virginia. Homes in Ghent, Colonial Place, Larchmont, and West Freemason were built with clay tile, cast iron, and in some cases Orangeburg (compressed wood fiber) drain lines that were never designed to last 100+ years.
These pipes crack, collapse, develop root intrusions from Norfolk’s massive oak and magnolia trees, and corrode until they restrict flow to a fraction of their original capacity. The result: drains that clog constantly, sewer gas smells in bathrooms, and eventually a complete line failure that backs sewage into the home.
What to do: Stop pouring drain cleaner into a pipe that may be structurally failing. A camera inspection through professional drain cleaning tells you whether you need maintenance or repair. In many Norfolk historic homes, hydro jetting can restore flow without replacing the pipe — but only if the pipe is still structurally sound.
4. Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Sewer Clogs
Norfolk’s Department of Utilities runs an active public education campaign about FOG for good reason — it’s one of the leading causes of sewer overflows in the city. When cooking grease goes down the kitchen drain, it solidifies inside the pipe and builds up over time until the line blocks completely.
This is a city-wide problem, but it hits harder in older Norfolk neighborhoods where the sewer laterals are already compromised by age and root intrusion. One FOG buildup on top of an existing root mass can turn a slow drain into a full backup overnight.
What to do: Never pour cooking grease down the drain — collect it in a container and throw it in the trash. If your kitchen drain is already running slow, professional drain cleaning can remove the grease buildup before it causes a backup. For restaurants and commercial kitchens, regular grease trap maintenance is essential and often required by city code.
5. Water Heater Failures in Humid, Coastal Conditions
Norfolk’s humidity and salt air create an environment that shortens the lifespan of standard tank water heaters. The tanks corrode from the outside in — especially in unconditioned spaces like garages, crawl spaces, and utility closets with poor ventilation. A water heater rated for 10-12 years in a dry inland climate may fail in 7-8 years in a Norfolk coastal home.
When a tank water heater fails, it doesn’t just stop heating water — it often floods the space it’s in, causing thousands in water damage before anyone notices.
What to do: If your water heater is more than 7 years old and you’re in a coastal Norfolk neighborhood, have it inspected annually. Consider upgrading to a tankless water heater — they don’t store water, so there’s no tank to rupture, and they last significantly longer in humid environments.
6. PFAS in Norfolk’s Water Supply
Norfolk’s water is treated at two plants — Moores Bridges (serving the west side and Naval Station Norfolk) and the Kristen M. Lentz plant on 37th Street. Independent testing has detected PFAS levels in Norfolk’s water supply ranging significantly above health advisory levels — a concern linked to historical use of military firefighting foam at and around Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base.
While the city’s water meets current federal standards, many Norfolk homeowners — particularly those with young children — are choosing to add point-of-entry filtration as an extra layer of protection.
What to do: A whole-house water filtration system rated for PFAS, chloramine, and disinfection byproduct reduction gives you control over what your family drinks, cooks with, and bathes in — regardless of what the municipal supply delivers. The EPA’s PFAS resource page has current information on federal standards and testing.
When to Call a Plumber in Norfolk
Norfolk’s combination of age, elevation, and coastal exposure means plumbing problems escalate faster here than in most cities. What would be a slow leak in an inland home becomes a mold problem in Norfolk’s humidity. What would be a minor sewer issue becomes a backup when the next rain event hits.
Newman’s Plumbing Service & Repair has been serving Norfolk and the Hampton Roads area since 1994. We know the city’s plumbing quirks — from Ghent’s century-old drain lines to Ocean View’s salt air corrosion — and we back every repair with a 100% workmanship guarantee. Contact us or call 757-465-0883 to schedule a service visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my Norfolk home have lead pipes?
It depends on when your home was built and whether the service line has ever been updated. The City of Norfolk has identified over 800 lead service lines on the public side and is actively replacing them. However, the private-side line from the meter to your home is your responsibility. Homes built before 1986 in neighborhoods like Ghent, Colonial Place, and Larchmont are most likely to have lead-containing plumbing.
Who do I call first for a sewer backup in Norfolk?
Call the Norfolk Department of Utilities at 757-823-1000 before calling a plumber. If the blockage is in the city’s sewer main, their crew will clear it at no charge. If the problem is in your private sewer lateral, they’ll let you know and you’ll need a licensed plumber to diagnose and repair it.