 Virginia Beach receives its water from Lake Gaston . The Virginia Tidewater area has grown faster than the local freshwater supply . The river water has always been salty , and fresh groundwater is no longer available in most areas . Currently , water for the Tidewater area is pumped from Lake Gaston , which straddles the Virginia @-@ North Carolina border along with the Blackwater and Nottoway rivers . The pipeline is 76 miles ( 122 km ) long and 60 inches ( 1 @,@ 500 mm ) in diameter . Much of its follows the former right @-@ of @-@ way of an abandoned portion of the Virginian Railway . It is capable of pumping 60 million gallons of water per day ( 60MGD ) , Norfolk and Chesapeake are partners in the project . 
