Public Utilities Department

• Mission Statement
• General Information
• Water Systems
• Wastewater Systems
• Reporting Trouble

Questions/Comments 
(804) 365-6024
PublicUtilities@co.hanover.va.us  

Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Program

Hanover County Department of Public Utilities Service Survey

Mission

The Mission of the Department of Public Utilities is "to provide water and wastewater services that, within regulatory guidelines, meet or exceed our customers' needs and expectations for safety, quality and quantity; to provide these services at a competitive price and in a fair and equitable and environmentally responsible manner, and to provide opportunities for personal and professional development for employees at all levels of the department."

General Information

The County's Department of Public Utilities operates and maintains public water and wastewater systems in the Suburban Service Area, the Hanover Courthouse Area and five rural residential subdivisions. (collectively, the "System") The Suburban Service Area is the crescent shaped area north of the Chickahominy River, generally between and along Route 1 to the west and Creighton Road to the east, including the Town of Ashland, the Doswell area, and the Route 33 area adjacent to Henrico County. The County provides utility service to approximately 19,930 water customers and 18,178 wastewater customers.

The County operates the System as a self-supporting enterprise fund, the Utility Enterprise Fund, whereby the operations and capital expenditures are funded with revenues generated from customer user fees and one-time fees paid for capacity at the time of connection to the System. County General Fund tax dollars are not used to fund either the operating or capital budgets of the System. The Utility Enterprise Fund reimburses the County's General Fund for services provided by other County departments to support the Department of Public Utilities and pays a service charge to the General Fund in lieu of tax payments. The Board of Supervisors establishes and revises the water and wastewater rates and fees charged to customers of the System and adopts annual operating and capital improvements plan budgets.

The Department develops overall operations, maintenance and capital construction plans for the System to support Hanover's Comprehensive Plan for development and services to ensure operational reliability and adequate capacity and to remain in compliance with local, State and Federal regulations. The Department of Public Utilities operates the System with County personnel and maintains the System with a combination of County personnel and private contractors. The Department's personnel read meters, prepare bills, and maintain customer accounts. The Department's activities extend to providing assistance to other utility purveyors within the County, supporting economic development initiatives, and participating in regional approaches to providing water and wastewater services. These activities are accomplished with 94.5 full-time employees.

Water Systems

The County's water system consists of 10 potable water wells, two surface water treatment plants, and 7 water-pumping stations. The water transmission and distribution system is comprised of approximately 387 miles of water lines ranging in size from 2 to 30 inches in diameter. The Doswell Water Treatment Plant is rated at 4 million gallons per day (mgd), was constructed in 1974 and upgraded and expanded in 1991. The South Anna Water Treatment Plant is rated a 2.0 mgd and was constructed in the early 1960's. The South Anna plant is currently not in service and would require substantial rehabilitation and upgrades to return it to service. Additional water supplies are provided by long-term contracts with City of Richmond and Henrico County, which serve the Suburban Service Area and the Route 33 area, respectively. In the Route 33 area, the County provides water service to Tyson Foods and a limited number of residential and commercial customers via a water purchase agreement with Henrico County (The County also has a connection to the Henrico County system along Route 1 at the Chickahominy River, which is not routinely utilized). The rural systems operated by the County are Georgetown, Dianne Ridge, Oak Hill Estates, Strawhorn, Sinclair Manor, and Courthouse.

Wastewater Systems

The County's wastewater system consists of four wastewater treatment plants and 39 wastewater pumping stations. The wastewater collection system is comprised of approximately 356 miles of sewers. The Doswell Wastewater Treatment Plant is rated at 1.0 mgd and serves the Doswell area. Ashland is served by the 2.0 mgd Ashland Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was placed in service in 1992. The Hanover Courthouse area is served by the 0.08 mgd Courthouse Wastewater Treatment Plant, which has a 1978 in-service date. The Totopotomoy Wastewater Treatment Plant is rated at 7.00 mgd and was placed into service in September 2004. The majority of wastewater generated in the Suburban Service Area is pumped by the Beaverdam Creek Wastewater Pump Station (5.4 mgd average capacity) to the Henrico County Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Reporting Trouble

If you experience a service problem, please call (804)365-6024 or (804)730-6024 during the day. If you need assistance at night, on a holiday or on weekends, please call (804)365-6017 or (804)730-6017, and you will be connected to a dispatcher who will assist you.