Where does Richmond’s water come from when James is low?
For many in the Metro Richmond area, your tap water comes from the City of Richmond. But when the water levels in the James River get below 3.4 feet on the Westham Gauge, water can’t make it uphill into the treatment facility on the north bank of the river, just west of the Powhite Parkway. But […]
For many in the Metro Richmond area, your tap water comes from the City of Richmond. But when the water levels in the James River get below 3.4 feet on the Westham Gauge, water can’t make it uphill into the treatment facility on the north bank of the river, just west of the Powhite Parkway.
But public utilities crews have another option. They can use a historic canal at a higher elevation to get the job done. The area west of Bosher’s Dam is the first piece of the puzzle. See the story from NBC12’s Andrew Freiden:
“That water coming around the bend is actually coming off the river, above Bosher’s Dam, and the water over here is Tuckahoe Creek. If you are in the West End, your property drains into Tuckahoe Creek, likely, that water, combined with the water from the James River eventually heads to the water treatment plant,” said Robert Steidel, director of the Department of Public Utilities.
It’s a long, slow, 5-mile trip that takes a day. That’s done on purpose. By keeping the water at a higher elevation, it can flow into the plant even though the river can’t.
The James River Regional Flow Management Plan would call for the implementation of voluntary conservation measures once water levels in the James River reach Natural River Flow (NRF) 14-day rolling average of 1,200 cfs (cubic feet per second) or approximately 3.4 feet of depth at the Richmond-Westham Gauge.
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