County says compliance drills completed after water main break; overnight water‑main work planned

County compliance and facilities staff told the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners on July 31 that required emergency preparedness work is up to date after the county completed a live drill connected to a recent water‑main break.

A county compliance presenter said the county is required by regulation to hold two emergency drills each year — one live and one tabletop — and that “in the span of a week, we did hold live.” The presenter said debriefs and signatures are being compiled and that the county will not need to schedule the remaining exercises because the unplanned water‑main break served as the live exercise.

In a facilities update, Rich Zabrowski said crews will tie the new water main line from a recently installed pipe into the Mitchell ground area during an overnight operation next week. “That’s gonna be a shutdown,” he told the board, and staff will have plumbers on site when water is turned back on to reduce impact. Facilities said the overnight schedule and on‑site staffing were chosen to minimize disruption for residents and county operations.

Why it matters: Demonstrating that the county has completed required emergency drills and is coordinating infrastructure work with minimal public disruption can reassure residents and facility operators that continuity planning is active.

The board received the informational update; no action was required. Commissioners thanked staff for the timing and coordination of the water‑main work and for using the recent incident as a learning event.