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Victoria council hears water-plant leaks, storage limits and proposal to change billing cycle
Summary
Town Manager Rodney Newton told council that cold-weather breaks have forced multiple repairs, the plant has started sodium permanganate treatment and the town holds roughly three-quarters of a million gallons in storage (about two days). He also proposed shifting meter reads to the 25th and billing on the 1st starting July 2025.
Town Manager Rodney Newton updated the Town Council of Victoria on Jan. 14 about recent water-plant problems, statewide utility rules and a proposed change to the town’s billing cycle.
Newton told council the town has seen multiple pipe breaks this winter at locations including 8th Street, Nottoway Boulevard and 11th Street and is managing repairs. "Due to the cold weather, we have already had multiple breaks," he said. He also said the plant initiated sodium permanganate at Nottoway Falls last week to address iron and manganese in the water.
A citizen, Irene Wilkinson, asked how likely the town is to experience issues similar to those recently reported in Richmond. Newton said Victoria’s water sources and systems differ, the plant has automatic backup power, and operators know how to run the plant manually. "We roughly have ¾ million gallons of water in our water tanks that would carry us two days, if we don’t have any major fires, etc.," Newton said, characterizing the number as an approximation.
Newton also described a separate operational challenge tied to meter-read and billing timing. He said the town’s newer meters retain about 30 days of data while the current billing cycle is about 45 days out, which leaves a gap between stored readings and billed periods. To address that mismatch, Newton proposed reading meters on the 25th of each month and mailing bills on the 1st beginning in July 2025. He said staff must develop a plan to ‘‘catch up’’ outstanding readings without unduly burdening customers.
Newton said consultants (B&B Consultants and Moonshot Missions) will work with plant operators in early February to refine assessment findings and pricing for needed repairs or upgrades. He also said the town is coordinating with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality on planned changes at the west facility to keep the large lagoon open during modifications.
The council received the updates; no formal vote on infrastructure funding or the billing schedule took place at the meeting. The town manager said staff will return with more detailed cost estimates and an implementation plan before making final decisions.
