Powhatan County reviews water and wastewater master plan; consultants recommend stream study before costly James River outfall

Powhatan County officials heard a presentation on the county's updated water and wastewater master plan Tuesday, with Deberry & Associates advising a targeted stream study before committing to a large outfall relocation and outlining three planning scenarios tied to possible additional water from neighboring systems.

The study matters because it will shape multi‑million‑dollar decisions on whether to take the Fighting Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant offline and pump its flows to DuToit Creek, how much to expand the DuToit Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, and whether to relocate an outfall to the James River at substantial cost.

Brett, a consultant with Deberry & Associates, told the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors that the master plan is intended to be flexible and respond to growth and regulatory scrutiny. “We account for [the data center that has been approved] in the master plan,” he said, answering supervisors’ questions about whether a confirmed data center user was included in demand projections.

Consultants described the county’s wastewater system as split between the Fighting Creek plant, which serves the courthouse area, and the DuToit Creek plant, which serves the Flat Rock area. One of the primary improvements the firm identified was converting Fighting…