Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority

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The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA) is an independent public agency that collects, treats, stores and distributes water and transports and treats waste water for residents of Albemarle County and Charlottesville. The RWSA is a wholesale agency with only two customers: the Charlottesville Water and Sewer Division and the Albemarle County Service Authority, agencies that serve individual retail customers. Funding for operations is paid for entirely by ratepayers[1], though local and state funding is part of the RWSA's Capital Improvement Program.

The authority's headquarters are located at 695 Moores Creek Lane and the main phone number is (434) 977-2970.

Leadership

Tom Frederick is the current Executive Director of the RWSA.

The Director's actions are directed by a seven-member Board of Directors, comprising

Current members are:[2]

  • Chairman, Mike Gaffney; Appointed (Since 2003[3])
  • Vice Chairman, Maurice Jones, Charlottesville Acting City Manager; Ex-Officio
  • Secretary-Treasurer, Thomas Foley, County Executive; Ex-Officio
  • Member, Judith M. Mueller, Charlottesville Director of Public Works; Ex-Officio
  • Member, Gary O'Connell, Albemarle County Service Authority Executive Director; Ex-Officio[4]
  • Member, Ken Boyd, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors; Ex-Officio
  • Member, Dave Norris, Charlottesville City Council; Ex-Officio

Board meetings are generally held on the last Monday of each month, though construction at the RWSA headquarters has temporarily moved the meetings to the last Tuesday of each month.

See also: List of current and previous chairs of the RWSA

Current Projects

The RWSA is currently in the midst of a nearly $150 million Capital Improvement Program that includes implementation of the Community Water Supply Plan, an upgrade to the Moores Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as replacements of various sewer lines such as the Meadowcreek Interceptor.

Infrastructure

Charlottesville-Albemarle urban public water supply system c. 2009

The RWSA has four reservoirs, connected by area rivers and a pipeline, as well as several water treatment plants.

Wastewater is processed at the Moores Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is located in the City of Charlottesville, discharging along the Rivanna River near Interstate 64.

History

The RWSA was formed June 7, 1972 as a result of state and federal pressure for Charlottesville and Albemarle to work cooperatively on water and sewer services. After each locality separately filed applications for EPA grants for sewer infrastructure around 1971, the State Water Control Board held a public hearing June 14-15, 1971 and adopted a resolution "to the effect that no further Federal grant would be given either to the City of Charlottesville or the County of Albemarle until the two had formed some type of authority to administer the water and sewerage systems of both, since both were dependent on the Rivanna River for their source of potable water and the receiving stream of their wastewater effluent."[5]

Negotiations between the Charlottesville City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors led to the signing of the Four-Party Agreement dated June 12, 1973 by council, the board of supervisors, the Albemarle County Service Authority, and the RWSA.[6]

Notes

  1. 'About RWSA', retreived 2008-03-26
  2. 2.0 2.1 Board Members, About Us Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, retrieved 16 Jun 2009
  3. Charlottesville City Council Minutes. 3 Feb. 2003. City of Charlottesville, Virginia. 24 Mar. 2009 <http://weblink.charlottesville.org/DocView.aspx?id=195903>
  4. RWSA Board Members, retrieved on 2008-10-23
  5. Bailey, J. Harvey. History of the Development of the Public Water System of Albemarle County, Virginia. April 1985. TS.
  6. Four-Party Agreement. 12 June 1973. Print.

External Links