Virginia Beach city engineer explains how underground filters keep stormwater out of the Lynnhaven River and Chesapeake Bay

Toni Utterback, Virginia Beach city engineer, outlined how the city treats stormwater to protect regional waterways. "Water quality is a top priority for the city of Virginia Beach," she said, and then introduced the systems the city uses to keep pollution out of local rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.

Utterback explained that where space allows the city uses stormwater ponds to "hold back stormwater so dirt, debris, and other pollutants can settle to the bottom before cleaner water flows downstream." Where ponds are not feasible, she said, engineers use hydrodynamic separators—"compact underground systems that filter stormwater right where it flows, often beneath the street."

Using a local example, Utterback pointed to a unit at 19th Street that "drains stormwater from the Vibe District before it reaches the Lynnhaven River and eventually the Chesapeake Bay at the Lynnhaven Inlet." She described hydrodynamic separators as an important part of the city's flood-protection program and listed installations in projects including the First Colonial constructed wetlands, the Seatack drainage improvement project, as well as in roadways, schools, parks, city facilities and private developments.

Utterback added a limitation: "While these units remove a lot of pollution, they can't catch everything." She urged residents to reduce harmful runoff, saying: "So it's so important for all of us to be mindful of the runoff we generate because eventually it ends up in the waterways we all love." The presentation concluded with her summary: "And that's how it works."

This was an informational presentation by a city official; no formal actions or votes were recorded in the transcript.