Henrico to build $300M water main to gain water independence
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Henrico County is building a $300 million water transmission main that will connect the Eastern part of the county to its water treatment plant in the West End.
Why it matters: Once the new line is complete, county residents won't have to rely on Richmond and its beleaguered water plant for their water supply.
State of play: The Henrico County Board of Supervisors approved plans last month for the East End Water Transmission Main Project.
- It's the first of two water transmission pipelines Henrico plans to build in the coming years to beef up its water supply following the January failures at the city's water treatment water, which put most of Eastern Henrico under a boil water advisory for days, Henrico Citizen reports.
- County officials hoped to develop a regional water supply solution that included Richmond, but ultimately decided to move forward on its own after the city "rebuked" those efforts, County Manager John Vithoulkas told the Citizen.
- Henrico's plan will be expensive and take time, but Vithoulkas said they don't anticipate residents' utility bills will go up. Bonds and the county's general fund should cover the cost.
Zoom in: Work for the first pipeline, the 13-mile, $300 million extension to Eastern Henrico, should start in summer of 2028, once the county buys the land it needs near Richmond Raceway and secures permits.
- Once it's online, by around mid-2031, the line will bring 13.7 million gallons of water daily to the Eastern Henrico.
- In 2045, Henrico will start work on a second, $263 million pipeline, which will also supply the Eastern part of the county and its future residents.
- With that line, Henrico could possibly sell water to Hanover, which similarly has a portion of its county that relies on Richmond for its water.
Of note: Henrico has a contract with the city to buy water from it through 2040. The county will honor the contract, per the Times-Dispatch.