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Consultants present Northern Accomack wastewater master plan work and discuss NASA plant options
Summary
Kimley-Horn project staff briefed supervisors on a master plan for northern Accomack County that inventories existing wells and wastewater infrastructure, highlights priority service areas and development sites, and says conversations about potential NASA wastewater-asset divestment are underway but not assured.
Consultants from Kimley-Horn gave a progress report on the Northern Accomack water and wastewater master planning study and answered supervisors' questions about alternatives and timelines.
Mike Gaffney, project manager, said the study area includes the northern seaside east of Route 13 and stretches toward the waterfront and identified key features such as permitted community wells and a 300,000-gallon-per-day wastewater treatment plant owned and operated by NASA at the Wallops Flight Facility. Gaffney described the team's current work: inventorying facilities, projecting service needs, evaluating wastewater-treatment alternatives, and identifying implementation strategies and potential partners.
Ted Nitsa (practice leader) discussed ongoing talks about asset divestment at the NASA facility and the potential for the county to reserve or pursue capacity if federal divestment moves forward. "We're working with NASA and HRSD about potential divestment," Nitsa said, describing parallel efforts to identify sites and pursue outfall or additional treatment capacity. Supervisors pressed for alternatives not wholly contingent on federal cooperation; presenters said they are also identifying other local sites, exploring outfall options and considering decentralized treatment options where suitable.
Supervisors also questioned the percent complete (presenters estimated roughly 50–60%) and asked for clearer, actionable alternatives that could be pursued if federal assets are not available. The board emphasized the project's importance for environmental protection, economic development and enabling future growth.
Next steps: consultants will continue master-plan work, examine both federal-divestment scenarios and independent local solutions, and provide follow-up analyses to the board and staff.
