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Stafford moves reclaimed-water ordinance to utilities commission; ban on potable-water evaporative cooling highlighted
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Summary
The board voted to send a proposed reclaimed-water ordinance to the Utilities Commission and later to the board for public hearing; staff emphasized an intended ban on potable-water use for evaporative cooling (commonly used for large data‑center cooling) and outlined enforcement, sampling and permit requirements.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted Feb. 3 to refer a draft ordinance to the Utilities Commission that would authorize and regulate reclaimed (nonpotable) wastewater for reuse and provide enforcement authority to county utilities.
What the draft does: Assistant Utilities Director John Brendel said the ordinance defines reclaimed water and its permitted uses, requires labeling (purple pipe), adds reclaimed users to the county's definition of significant industrial users, and builds in sampling, testing, permit and spill-reporting obligations. Brendel highlighted a potable-water ban in the draft code: "No person shall use potable water from the county water system for the purposes of evaporative cooling," language staff said is intended to address data‑center cooling practices.
Why supervisors asked questions: Board members probed how rates will be set, oversight and inspections, staffing needs to support annual inspections and enforcement, grandfathering of certain existing users (hospitals, schools and large current users), and whether reclaimed rates would be set alongside existing water and sewer rates. Staff said rate-setting will follow the same board-controlled process as water and sewer rates and that fiscal-year budget adjustments will include positions for program inspection and enforcement.
Next steps and timeline: The board asked staff to send the ordinance to the Utilities Commission for a public hearing (scheduled by staff for Feb. 19) and to present the water/sewer and reclaimed‑water rate study for informational purposes on March 17; a later public hearing will be scheduled to set rates. Staff said any enforcement program would be supported by reclaimed-water permit fees and dedicated staffing proposed in upcoming budgets.
Context and community reaction: The reclaimed-water proposal drew interest from local civic groups and residents who tied the ordinance to broader concerns about data centers and land-use transparency. Protect Stafford and other commenters requested additional public review and that the Planning Commission also see the ordinance because reclaimed-water arrangements intersect with land-use and data‑center development.
What the board did: By unanimous vote, the board referred the draft to the Utilities Commission and directed staff to proceed with the schedule that will include a public hearing and later board consideration for ordinance adoption and associated rates.
