HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Hanover County announced it has begun taking precautionary steps to strengthen its water system after the January 2025 Richmond area water crisis. On Monday, April 13, Hanover shared in a press release its water resilience plan to ensure that residents continue to hav e water service even during an emergency. The Board has already approved $4 million for short-term improvements in order to improve its reliability within the following year. It is designed to keep the same continuous water flow to meet everyday demand levels. These upgrades include the following: Portable booster pumps to be located along Route 1 and Route 33. Improvements to be made to the Airport East Water Pump Station. These new improvements are funded without new taxes or fees and paid for by existing capital funds through a budget transfer, according to the release. This short-term plan will allow Hanover to do the following: Maintaining water service for the daily demand, which is around 8.4 million gallons a day. Include nearly 6 million gallons a day to an emergency supply, and if needed, an additional 4 million gallons a day from the Doswell water treatment plant. These steps were created so that Hanover will be more prepared in case there were another regional water crisis. In addition to the short-term plan, the county plans to phase in a long-term strategy that includes: For the next 2 to 5 years: build a new water storage tank and establish an additional connection to Henrico County for a backup supply. For the next 10 to 20 years: Evaluating a new, county-owned water source from the Pamunkey River or building on regional partnerships with Henrico. These long-term goals are to ensure that Hanover can meet the future growth within the county and to limit the reliance on a single water source. Currently, Hanover relies on water from the city of Richmond; however, with this plan, it will, per the release: Improves the county's reliability during emergencies To add redundancy and flexibility By preparing for future growth Explores all options for greater independence "Hanover is moving quickly to strengthen its water system now, while also planning for long-term reliability," the press release stated. "The $4 million investment is the first step in a larger strategy to ensure residents have consistent, dependable water service no matter what happens in the region." For more information, visit Hanover's website here. ...read more read less