Richmond outlines modernization plan for aging treatment plant; Henrico details capacity, CIP and reservoir

Dr. Scott Morris, director of Richmond's Department of Public Utilities, and Bentley Chan, Henrico County's public utilities director, presented technical summaries of the Richmond Water Treatment Plant, ongoing repairs and longer-term capital plans at a joint meeting of Richmond City Council and the Henrico Board of Supervisors.

Morris said the Richmond plant currently has a treatment capacity of about 132,000,000 gallons per day and supplies Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover under wholesale contracts. He told elected officials that the city has completed immediate corrective actions tied to the January outage — including changes to operational modes, upsizing uninterruptible power supplies and moving electrical gear out of basements — and is implementing multiple phased projects to build resiliency. "All the imminent concerns associated with the January 6 event have been addressed," Morris said.

Morris outlined projects and status: replacement of some variable frequency drives and mechanically cleaned intake screens (about 75% complete, expected in fall 2026), Substation 1 replacement with automatic transfer switch (about 75% complete; substantial completion for generator use anticipated November 2025), filter media and actuator replacements (design ~90%), phases of SCADA and distribution controls upgrades (Phase 3B ~50% complete with summer 2026 target), and a multi‑phase tank/reservoir rehabilitation program. He described a four-phase 10-year modernization plan that sequences core infrastructure, SCADA and automation, resiliency and long-term stability work.

Bentley Chan said Henrico operates an 80 MGD facility at Three Chopt and Gaskins Road and plans to expand capacity to 130 MGD in the future; he reported Henrico's average purchase from Richmond over the last six years is about 12.43 MGD and its contract allows a 35 MGD maximum. Chan said Henrico's Cobbs Creek Reservoir is nearing completion and that Henrico's 10-year capital program anticipates roughly $1.2 billion in reinvestment across water and sanitary systems, funded in part by a 5% rate increase implemented over recent years.

Council members pressed for clearer timelines, funding assurances and transparency. Officials said capital projects are funded through annual budget and rate‑model cycles and that some items are already funded while others will require rate modeling and council approval. Morris said design work typically takes six to 12 months and construction can take one to two years per project phase, and that staff are prioritizing projects by criticality. "There's always a funding constraint," he said, noting work to produce a 5‑ and 10‑year CIP and to run rate models to balance affordability and pace of work.

Separately, Council Member Gibson raised regional demand concerns tied to rapid data center growth, citing recent analyses showing large water use in Northern Virginia data centers and urging third‑party assessments of projected demand and equity in system impacts. Chan said facility plans use land‑use projections and are routinely updated; the facilities plan is a living document that will be rerun as zoning or major projects change.

Officials emphasized that no immediate contract changes were decided at the meeting. Staff will return with detailed cost estimates, governance options and draft MOU language for elected bodies to consider.