Henrico officials continue to discuss possible water rate hike for residents

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Henrico County officials continue to discuss a possible rate increase for water and sewer that, if approved, would go into effect this summer.

On Tuesday, April 8, the Henrico County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing to discuss a proposed cost increase for water-related utility services. This comes after the related ordinance was introduced on March 11.

Under that ordinance, a customer who uses 10 CCF — or just under 7,500 gallons — of water bimonthly would see an increase of about $7.35, or about 12 cents a day.

This amount of water usage reportedly represents a "typical residential customer" of Henrico’s water system, according to the county's Public Utilities director Bentley Chan, who spoke at Tuesday's meeting.

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According to 2015-2016 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a family of four’s average water use across 30 days is estimated to be about 10,000 gallons.

Per the county, these proposed changes would help "support annual operating, debt service and capital costs associated with water and sewer projects."

Chan added during the meeting that some of this additional revenue will be used to help strengthen the infrastructure of the county's water system.

On Tuesday, prior to public comment, there was a discussion between Chan and board member Misty Roundtree about how Henrico has, over many years, routinely increased water and sewer rates. Chan explained that small but regular rate increases over time -- as opposed to less frequent, larger rate increases -- can make it easier for residents to adjust.

Roundtree asked if these routine rate increases made it easier for Henrico to respond to the Richmond water crisis in January. Chan said that was correct.

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Discussion of the water crisis -- which left many residents in the Richmond area without water for several days, including those in Henrico -- continued, with officials touching on the county's historical dependence on Richmond for water. Henrico has since stated that it wants to remove itself from the city's water system. However, that kind of an infrastructural overhaul does not come without costs.

Board member Tyrone Nelson asked Chan if, in the event that someone could not pay their bills after this proposed increase, residents would have their water shut off. Chan said this only happens if someone has a very high balance. Even then, officials emphasized they prefer to work with customers before doing something like that.

During the public comment period, a Varina area resident criticized proposing to raise water rates while also proposing lowering property taxes -- the subject of another ordinance on Tuesday's agenda. She stated she believed these ordinances would benefit richer Henrico residents, who likely have higher property values, more than they would poorer ones.

Another commenter criticized the county for the uptick in water main breaks in the past several months. Chan explained, as he previously said when speaking to 8News, that the vast majority of these water main breaks were a result of the Richmond water crisis, as the emptied water pipes contracted and burst when they were suddenly refilled with water.

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Finally, other commenters who attended the meeting to ask the county to stop putting fluoride in its water system claimed this rate increase would not be necessary if not for the chemical's use. Board chair Dan Schmitt told one commenter that, in 2024, Henrico paid $11,000 for fluoride.

If the board ultimately approves this ordinance, residents would see their water bills go up on July 1. The next meeting of the Henrico Board of Supervisors is scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 22.