Septic system update suggested to Henrico supervisors as possible infrastructure project

Henrico County Administration Building in the western government center of Henrico. (Photo by Analise Beres for Henrico Citizen)

Henrico residents could have widened options for hooking up to the county’s water and sewer systems as leaders are considering an infrastructure initiative that suggests moving the system closer to households who do not have access to it.

Public utility director Bentley Chan told the board about possible repairs to septic tanks in the county on June 22 in a continuation of a conversation that began during the board’s closed session in January.

The county has identified approximately 780 sewage treatment plants that were submitted to the Virginia Department of Health for repair permits from 2003 to 2020, Chan told supervisors.

As part of the initiative, connections to Henrico’s water and sewer systems could be extended to homes in areas without such infrastructure through the installation of a new sewer, Chan said.

Should a single well or septic system fail, homeowners would have access to the district system – if they chose to – at a cheaper price compared to standard connection rates, he said.

Chan identified specific areas in each of the county’s wards where repairs could be made and links to the county system could be made:

• Brookland District – The Greenwood Road area with 400 septic tanks and 19 well systems that could be repaired at a cost of $ 12.5 million;

• Fairfield District – The Woodcliff and Ravenswood subdivisions; Woodcliff has 15 septic systems that could be repaired at a cost of $ 1 million, while Ravenswood has 43 systems that could be repaired at a cost of $ 4 million;

• Three Chopt District – Pouncey Tract West, an area with 45 sewage treatment plants that could be repaired and two private pumping stations that could be taken offline, costing $ 10 million;

• Tuckahoe District – The Pembrooke and Druid Hills subdivisions; Pembrooke has 20 septic systems that could be repaired at a cost of $ 800,000 while Druid Hills has 60 systems that could be repaired at a cost of $ 4 million;

• Varina district – Hanover / Graves Road area, subdivision Pine Heights and Greendale Park; The Hannover / Graves Road area has 10 sewage treatment plants that could be repaired for $ 800,000, Pine Heights has 50 systems that could be repaired, in addition to decommissioning a private pumping station for $ 1.7 million and Greendale Park The area has 9 sewage treatment plants that could be repaired at a cost of $ 2.1 million.

The infrastructure initiative has been in the works for some time because of the frequency of wastewater treatment plant failures in recent decades, Chan said.

Some residents of the Druid Hills neighborhood have had their sewage treatment plants replaced twice due to persistent outages, noted Patricia O’Bannon, district manager of Tuckahoe, during the presentation.

The proposed initiative would be a socially responsible strategy that ensures access to the county system and allows homeowners to connect, Chan said. A system replacement will be pending for some residents in the named areas over the next few years, he added.

“We want to give residents security for something they don’t have to worry about,” he said. “We want a sustainable, resilient solution from which everyone benefits.”

Initial discussions about the project included the possible use of funds from the Community Development Block Grant, but it is possible that the American Rescue Act funds received from Henrico totaling $ 64.2 million could be used as a source of funding said Chan.

Regulators are likely to revisit the conversation about the infrastructure initiative in the coming months as the ARA funds are allocated within the county, he said.

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