Hanover County schools closed due to water supply issues and winter storm

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Hanover County Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Jan. 8, due to the impact from the winter storm and the recent water supply issues. According to a Facebook post from HCPS, the county's schools will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 8, due to the issues regarding the water supply in Hanover County, as well as the travel conditions. Until matters are resolved, employees will work remotely and only designated emergency personnel will report to work. In the statement Hanover County Public Schools said: As you may know, residents in the city of Richmond lost water service yesterday following the loss of power and subsequent malfunction to the city’s water reservoir system. Hanover County, along with Chesterfield and Henrico counties, water service was removed from the city’s water supply and transferred to an alternative water supply. A short time ago, our valued partners with Hanover County Government announced that the area of our county east of I-95 is under a water boil advisory. This means that those still with water should boil it before drinking or cooking as a precaution. This is not due to contamination but caused by low system pressure. The water outage is expected to last at least 24 hours, followed by a 48-hour boil water advisory once service is restored. Hanover residents west of I-95 are asked to continue to conserve water (postpone doing laundry, taking shorter showers, limiting unnecessary toilet flushes, and delaying washing dishes if possible). Please note that, in order to assist Hanover residents during this difficult time, water distribution will take place at Atlee High School in the stadium parking lot and in the bus loop of Cold Harbor Elementary School from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. today. One case of water will be provided per family. We strongly encourage you to follow Hanover County Government on social media or check their website for continuous updates throughout this matter. The vast majority of our schools utilize Hanover County water service, meaning this impact on water service across our county greatly affects our operations. We rely upon this water to provide students and staff with food service, access to restrooms, and more. Additionally, due to the impact of the winter storm, travel conditions throughout Hanover County remain hazardous with uncleared, slick secondary roads throughout the county. These conditions are not expected to improve overnight due to freezing temperatures that are forecasted to be in the teens. Hanover County Public Schools