Victoria Town Officials Discuss Water Issues

VICTORIA – Towns throughout the state are facing issues with regard to their water that ranges from a lower amount of usage to infrastructure concerns.

At the Victoria Town Council meeting last week, the group discussed some of the recent issues the town has faced and other questions that will be upcoming in the near future and further down the road.

Victoria Town Manager Rodney Newton said the elevated water tank that had been off-line for repairs is operating properly following the work that had to be done to the structure. The repairs and maintenance were completed and the tank was back in use prior to Thanksgiving. Mr. Newton said that town crews are still working on some minor leak issues as well as patching some of the previous locations where areas had to be dug up in order to make repairs.

Councilman Brame also spoke about the water issues and referenced an article he had been reading about longevity and water systems for small towns. He noted that areas are being forced to raise rates throughout Virginia in order to combat the rising costs associated with maintenance and the treatment, including chemicals.

He and Mr. Newton also noted that overall consumption of water for the town is down, which means less money as well. This is partly a result of new appliances that use less water to operate and “low flow technology,” as well as the area prison just outside of Victoria getting a new water system and not using as much water.

Mr. Newton noted that now a customer may use less than a gallon of water to flush a toilet, when it took as much as five gallons in the past.

The town officials have also been dealing with existing infrastructure problems and know  there are additional repairs, updates and needed work that will be facing them in the future.

The group noted that this is an issue that will need to be addressed soon and one that neighboring localities are also dealing with and searching for the best solution.