Board approves sale of village water tower to Aqua Virginia for $2.5 million; fire protection reserved
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Powhatan supervisors voted to sell the county’s 500,000‑gallon village water tower and related infrastructure to Aqua Virginia for $2.5 million. AquaVirginia plans to connect the tower to its finished‑water distribution system, subject to state approvals; the sale reserves 2,000 gallons per minute for two hours for local fire protection.
The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Oct. 27 to sell the county’s village water tower and associated infrastructure to Aqua Virginia for $2,500,000.
County staff said the tower, built in 2017, is a 500,000‑gallon elevated storage tank currently used as a raw (nonpotable) supply for fire protection in the village area. The sale includes the tower, the well that currently serves it, roughly 1.249 acres of land, connecting water lines and the project records.
Under the proposed agreement, Aqua Virginia would assume ownership and operation and place the tower on its finished‑water system to improve distribution, pressure and service in the village. The sale agreement would reserve a fire‑protection flow of 2,000 gallons per minute for two hours to serve Powhatan Elementary, Powhatan Middle School, and the county transportation facility.
John Albaek, president of Aqua Virginia, told the board the company is prepared to move quickly but must secure approvals from the State Corporation Commission, the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water and other regulators before connecting the tank and placing it into drinking‑water service. Albaek said Aqua would submit the purchase documents to the commission and planned to start design of the interconnection immediately; he estimated the work could be accomplished in 2026 subject to state review timelines.
County staff noted the sale would shift ongoing maintenance responsibilities and long‑term debt tied to the tank from the county to Aqua, and it would place the tower on the tax rolls as private property. The board held a public hearing on the disposition, received no public comments, then approved the sale by roll call (5–0).
The county will remain responsible for ensuring reserved fire flows during transitions; the agreement spells out the minimum fire‑protection volume and the operational commitments Aqua would provide.
Next steps include finalizing the sale documents, Aqua’s regulatory filings and the design and permitting of the interconnection work.