Member Spotlight

The County of Henrico, located in central Virginia, is home to approximately 334,000 residents. Henrico’s Department of Public Utilities provides water and sewer service to much of the County. In the more rural eastern portion of the County, however, many residents still rely on privately owned drinking water wells.

In October 2021, Henrico County was notified by the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality that a neighboring locality had detected elevated levels of PFAS in its drinking water source, the Chickahominy River. The neighboring locality’s source water intake is located downstream of Henrico County, with a significant portion of the Chickahominy River watershed—including the White Oak Creek Swamp—located within Henrico’s eastern region.

Following this notification, Henrico County’s Department of Public Utilities moved quickly to validate the findings. Staff trained in the specialized process of PFAS sample collection collected approximately 20 surface water samples throughout the Chickahominy River watershed and the White Oak Creek Swamp. These efforts confirmed the neighboring locality’s findings and helped guide the next phase of the project.

Henrico then launched a comprehensive community outreach campaign that included public meetings, press releases, and direct communication with residents living in the affected area. The County also established a program to test private drinking water wells at no cost to homeowners. As awareness of the program spread, demand for testing quickly grew to more than 200 samples during the first month. By 2025, Henrico County had collected nearly 400 PFAS samples from 335 residential properties, all at no cost to residents.

In addition to providing free well testing, the County developed a program to address wells with PFAS concentrations exceeding regulatory thresholds. When exceedances are identified, Henrico installs a whole-house filtration system at no cost to the homeowner and covers the ongoing maintenance costs. To date, the County has installed 28 whole-house filtration systems, with four additional installations scheduled.

NACWA awarded the Henrico County Department of Public Utilities a 2026 National Environmental Achievement Award in the Public Service category for its impactful program. Congratulations to everyone involved!