PUBLIC UTILITIES. Water Service

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1 PUBLIC UTILITIES Planning for public utilities is crucial to the successful growth of any community. The following section describes the current services provided to residents of Gloucester County and looks at the future needs for these services. Water Service Gloucester County provides its residents and businesses with clean water from both surface and groundwater sources. In order to maintain a high quality water system, Gloucester County must adhere to rules and regulations imposed by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the Safe Drinking Water Act and State Water Control Law. Gloucester County has addressed future planning of its water and sewer service in more depth in the Master Water and Sewer Plan completed in Gloucester County also adopted a Regional Water Supply Plan drafted by the HRPDC in August Surface Water Supply Gloucester County operates a community water system which provides water to approximately 12,700 people. The service area runs along US 17 providing water to neighborhoods and businesses between Gloucester Courthouse and Gloucester Point (Map CF-3). Gloucester utilizes Beaverdam Reservoir for a portion of its public water supply. The drainage area is approximately 24 square miles and the storage capacity available for water supply is 5 million gallons of raw water. In addition, the County pumps from two deep wells to supplement its water supply. The wells yield brackish water that must be treated by reverse osmosis (RO) to remove the salinity. The two treatment facilities are located adjacent to each other on the same site near the reservoir. The Surface Water Treatment Plant (SWTP) has a capacity to deliver two million gallons per day (MGD) and was designed and built to accommodate future expansion readily. The RO plant, completed in 2003, treatsis also designed to treat up to 2 MGD. The RO plant is expandable to 4 MGD. The treated water from the RO plant is delivered to the County s existing SWTP where both finish waters are blended and pumped to the distribution system. Groundwater Supply Gloucester County lies within the Coastal Plain Province and has water-bearing unconsolidated sediments of Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary age over Pre-Cretaceous bedrock. The unconsolidated sediments range from approximately 1,200 foot depths in the western section to approximately 2,400 foot depths along the eastern edge of the County. There are a total of 10 hydrogeologic units in the Coastal Plain that are considered to be important water supply sources. Of these units, there are eight aquifers and two confining units. The Yorktown and Potomac confining zones can be considered as aquifers at the local

2 level due to their variable configurations. There is also data to suggest that these layers have been used as sources for municipal and industrial wells. Gloucester County s two deep wells pump groundwater from the Potomac aquifer to the RO plant. The wells are between 1500 and 1600 feet deep. The availability of groundwater in Gloucester County is affected by the chloride transition zone, which is influenced by the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater. Saltwater from the ocean meets fresh groundwater along the coast. Saltwater has a higher density than freshwater so a saltwater wedge forms under the freshwater. The edge of the crater is in Gloucester County. The crater s rim is nearlyconsists of impermeable sediments and groundwater flows around the rim. The groundwater within the crater is brackish and is not considered a good source of potable water. For a more detailed description of the groundwater flow system in Gloucester, please reference the Natural Resources chapter of this Plan. Water Use and Projected Demand In 2008, the Gloucester County Department of Utilities delivered an estimated 1.3 MGD of treated water to approximately 4,990 accounts utilizing the combined surface and groundwater sources. Water usage ranges from approximately 1.2 million gallons per day in the winter months to about 1.5 MGD in the summer months Since only about 28.5% of the County s residents are served by the public water supply, the remaining households must use private wells. According to a study by the US Geological Survey (USGS), there are an estimated 9,478 domestic wells in Gloucester County, serving approximately 25,000 people. The private wells yield a total of approximately 1.87 MGD. The private wells are utilizing primarily shallow aquifers: Yorktown-Eastover aquifer (94%) and the Piney Point aquifer (6%) (Pope, McFarland, & Banks, 2007). There are also three private community water systems in the County which have permits from VDH. Table 3 summarizes the capacity of these community water systems. There are no reports of any other withdrawals of more than 300,000 gallons of water per month for non-agricultural or agricultural purposes. Table 1: Private Community Water Systems in Gloucester County Private Community Water System Laurelwood Estates Trailer Park People Served Aquifer Permitted System Capacity (2007) 175 Potomac 30,000 gallons/day R&L Trailer Park 45 Yorktown-Eastover 6,300 gallons/day Waterview Mobile Home Park 80 Yorktown-Eastover 10,400 gallons/day

3 Gloucester County has adequate water supply to meet future demands for public water. By 2030, it is estimated that approximately 46% of the County s population will be served by the public water system. This translates to approximately 23,689 people. The County will require 1.9 MGD by 2030, which can be handled by the existing treatment facilities. Table 4 shows projected public water demand in Gloucester County through 2050 (Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, 2010). The County has estimated that about 70% of the future growth in Gloucester County will occur in areas that already provide public water service. However, the County may see an unexpected demand for public water should aquifers within the County experience salt water intrusion. Year Table 2: Projected Water Supply and Demand in Gloucester County (Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, 2010) Sewerage Service Projected Water Demand (MGD) Projected Population Served by Public Water Projected Population of County Percent of Population Served by Public Water ,551 44,495 42% ,689 51,835 46% ,675 60,387 49% ,649 70,349 52% Sewerage service to County residents and businesses is provided by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD). HRSD owns a 30-inch interceptor which runs under the York River and along U.S. Route 17 to the Courthouse area. From Gloucester Point north to the Courthouse, there are a number of businesses, residences, and small communities with sewer pipe that is tied directly into the HRSD interceptor. All other parcels that have sewer collection are serviced by County owned and maintained sewer collection lines and pump stations. The collected wastewater is piped across the river to an HRSD treatment facility in York County. There are approximately 1,000 HSRD accounts in Gloucester County. Gloucester County s participation in HRSD essentially provides for a limitless supply of sewerage service capacity. The County s agreement with HRSD is such that should the primary force mains owned by HRSD reach capacity, HRSD will upgrade the affected facilities. However, HRSD will not install, or maintain service lines that the County or its developers, install to serve specific projects. The County has established a Development District in order to identify those areas with existing public utilities and where there is potential for future development and utilities expansion within a 12-year time frame. The current boundary of the Development District is shown in Map CF-4. Under the Water and Sewer Ordinance, the Development District must be reviewed each year and updated to reflect new development.

4 Special Order by Consent Gloucester County will continue to work with the region to fulfill the requirements set forth by the Special Order by Consent (SOC) that was issued between the State Water Control Board, HRSD and Hampton Roads localities in The purpose of the SOC is to resolve certain alleged violations of environmental laws and to prevent sewer overflows and associated water quality impacts to local waterways. Sewer system overflows occur throughout the Hampton Roads region due to wet weather events, pipe breaks, electrical outages, infiltration and inflow, insufficient sewer system capacity, and other factors. Overflows result in the non-permitted discharge of untreated sewage to public waters. The low-lying nature of the Hampton Roads region and corresponding high groundwater table, together with periodic widespread flooding in the region s urbanized areas are significant factors that contribute to the discharge of untreated sewage. HRSD, the localities, and HRPDC coordinate activities required by the SOCtwo legal documents under a 2007 Memorandum of Agreement. Under the SOC, HRSD and the Hampton Roads Localities agreed to a two-phased approach to address regional and local sanitary sewer system capacity and performance conditions that cause or contribute to unpermitted discharges of sewage. The initial phase is a data collection, evaluation and plan development program with regional and locality elements. The regional element establishes uniform standards applied to identify the infrastructure improvements to manage wet-weather flows. The locality element addresses conditions that contribute to unpermitted discharges and provides for system repairs that require prompt attention. Gloucester County participated in the development of regional technical standards and the hydraulic model of the regional sewer system. Gloucester has evaluated County sewer lines and identified and prioritized areas of concern. The second phase under the SOC approach will provide for implementation of sewer rehabilitation plans and long-term system capacity enhancements, including construction of regional infrastructure projects and local system improvements identified in the first phase. Gloucester continues to cooperate with HRSD and other localities toward the coordinated development of rehabilitation plans, as required by the end of Gloucester s rehabilitation plan must address publicly owned gravity sewer facilities and assess the feasibility and cost of achieving specific peak flow reductions. Long-term system capacity improvements will be addressed in the Regional Wet Weather Management Plan (RWWMP), which must be completed by HRSD and the localities in This plan will analyze system performance for existing and future peak flows under different hydrologic conditions, evaluate alternatives to provide a mutually agreed upon level of service, and establish a capital program and implementation schedule for regional projects over the next years. Gloucester continues to coordinate SOC-related activities through the HRPDC s Directors of Utilities Committee and other intergovernmental activities. In late 2012, the EPA, VA DEQ, HRSD and the localities (including Gloucester County) agreed to revise the legal documents to delay some of the scheduled activities while HRSD conducted a study on the feasibility of regionalizing all of the various localities sewer systems.

5 Issues Water Service Currently, Gloucester County is not included in a state Groundwater Management Area and is not required to hold a withdrawal permit from DEQ. However, DEQ has proposed to add Gloucester and all other localities in the coastal plain to the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, 2010). The implications of this change are not certain, but a likely scenario would be that Gloucester may continue to operate its two deep wells at the current rate of withdrawal for a period of 10 years if the County applies for a historic use permit. If Gloucester requires an increase in groundwater withdrawals before that time has passed, then it may be required to apply for a new permit. The new permit would be subject to the evaluation process for the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area and additional withdrawals may not be available. Gloucester County should be aware of this possibility and plan accordingly. Sewage Service In the past, Gloucester County has used the suitability of soils for septic tank disposal systems as a growth management tool. This is significant because approximately over 75% of the residences in the county are served by individual septic tank systems and the only planned location for public water and sewer service is in the Development District. The unsuitability of the soils for septic systems in many areas has made it necessary for development to be on large lots or, at some locations, for development to be forbidden until sewerage service is provided. Restricting development based on soil suitability is no longer an option. The Commonwealth of Virginia has declared that development cannot be restricted if the property owner installs and maintains an alternative onsite sewage system (AOSS). These systems are mechanical devices designed in some cases not to require drain fields and may be situated in clay soils and site where the seasonal water table is at the ground surface unlike traditional septic systems. Since they do not require traditional soils, VDH prescriptive regulations concerning designs and separation between the point of sewage dispersal and seasonal high water tables do not apply. This change will open up large new areas for residential development where it was not previously possible. In terms of the Special Order by Consent, Gloucester County must plan for ongoing maintenance and long-term enhancement of its sewer system. Gloucester must consider the recommendations in the rehabilitation plan as the County develops its Capital Improvement Plan. The rehabilitation plan will define specific measures to reduce sewer overflows and address deficiencies identified through the County s system assessment and evaluation. The plan will also identify system-wide improvements, including control of infiltration and inflow sources, to ensure the sustainability of the sewer infrastructure and reduce peak flows to levels within the threshold set forth in the plan. Monitoring and reporting of sewer system flows at numerous sites will be needed to demonstrate system performance and evaluate the effectiveness of infiltration and inflow reduction projects. AllSixteen of the seventeen county pump stations are currently equipped with monitoring equipment.

6 The County must also plan for continuing system maintenance to ensure that wet-weather peak flows remain within the threshold defined in plan. The rehabilitation plan delineates the County s peak flow commitment to the regional sewer system and affects the sizing and performance of downstream improvements. As of March 2011, HRSD and the localities are collaborating on budgeting and planning tools to provide consistent rehabilitation efforts across the region. Projects to enhance the sewer system capacity to accommodate long-term flow conditions and provide the appropriate level of sewer service will be identified as a part of the Regional Wet Weather Management Plan. This plan assumes the full implementation and continued performance of projects identified in the HRSD and locality rehabilitation plans. The level of service defined in the Regional Wet Weather Management Plan (RWWP) will be cooperatively developed and mutually agreed upon by HRSD and the localities; the level of service must ultimately be accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Gloucester County must plan to participate in the development of the RWWP and allocate resources toward implementation of plan improvement projects. If the County fails to comply with the approved plan and non-compliance impacts the regional sewer system, HRSD may take legal action. The SOC also requires flow monitoring, reporting, and system performance assessment after the Regional Wet Weather Management Plan is implemented. The County should plan for associated costs appropriately. Future Capital Projects In 2005, Gloucester Department of Public Utilities contracted Environmental Engineering & Technology, Inc (EE&T) to develop a twenty year master plan for both the sewer and water systems. The study recommended extending water and sewer services to nearly all areas of the Development District as it was defined at the time. Water Capital Projects The water system, at this time, is sufficiently extended to obtainable urban and suburban regions of Gloucester County. Sewer Capital Projects The EE&T study recommended extending sewers to approximately 80% of the Development District. However, it has been determined that some of the recommended areas do not need sewer services in the foreseeable future for one of two possible reasons; certain regions have ideal soil conditions for traditional septic systems or the lack of future development does not warrants extension. The future sewer extension areas are tabulated in the following table and may be seen on the following table (Gloucester County Strategic Water & Sewer Master Plan). The sewer extensions may be approximately described as follows:

7 The area bounded by Guinea Road and Sarah s Creek The area bounded by George Washington Memorial Highway (Rt. 17) and Sarah s Creek The area west of George Washington Memorial Highway (Rt. 17) and South of Margaret Drive to VIMS. Holly Springs subdivision (76-C15) Table* Reference list of future sewer extension projects corresponding to EE&T study Proposed Sewer Area Timeline Reference 6 CD-5 50 CD CD-5 6 CD-5 63 D-15 5 C-20 4 C-25 3 C-25 1 C-10 2 C-10 7 C-5 4 CD-5 7 C-5 8 C-5 10 C-10 9 C-5 31 C C C D-5 37 CD-5 38 CD-5 36 C CD C-15 *The above table will be replaced with a more reader-friendly map in the Comp Plan.