Henrico and Hanover supervisors agree to pursue regional steps to shore up water supply and resiliency

Henrico and Hanover county elected officials and staff met June 11 in a joint session to review regional water system performance since January and to direct next steps on short‑term oversight and longer‑term supply and transmission projects.

Presenters from both counties described current contracts, recent production and demand figures, and projects intended to add storage, redundancy and transmission capacity. Henrico and Hanover board members agreed the issues are urgent and asked staff to continue technical work and to bring implementation recommendations back to their boards before the end of the calendar year.

Why it matters: both counties rely on water treated at the City of Richmond plant and on interconnections among county systems. Repeated interruptions earlier in 2025 exposed vulnerabilities in supply, treatment and transmission that county leaders said could affect public health and economic activity if not addressed.

Presentations and facts

Hanover County Director of Public Utilities Matt Longshore summarized Hanover’s network, its two primary external contracts and recent usage. Hanover’s average daily production in 2024 was 8.8 million gallons per day (MGD) with a 2024 peak day of 14.4 MGD. Its most recent utility master plan projects average‑day demand of about 16.3 MGD and a max‑day of about 25.6 MGD by 2048. Longshore said those projections are a key reason the county is studying additional supply options.

Henrico Director of Public Utilities Bentley Chan described Henrico’s treatment and distribution system, including its 80 MGD raw‑water allocation from the James River and the county’s ability to…