About Arwa
The Appomattox River Water Authority was formed in the 1960s to own/operate a regional water supply and sell drinking water to the cities of Colonial Heights and Petersburg as well as Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George Counties. The Authority completed construction of the reservoir, treatment plant and pipelines in late 1967 and began delivering water to the customers in January 1968.
The original treatment plant had a rated capacity of 22 million gallons per day (mgd) and two expansions have increased the capacity first to 46 mgd in the early 1980s and then to 96 mgd in 2007.
The Authority participates in the Partnership for Safe Water program which is sponsored by the American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Association of Water Companies, and the Water Research Foundation. The drinking water quality standards for participation in this program are stricter than the regular standards of either the EPA or the Virginia Department of Health. ARWA is one of only two water plants in Virginia that has received the Directors Award for compliance with these standards for fifteen or more consecutive years.
Service Area – Click icon to visit site
Chesterfield County
City of Colonial Heights
Dinwiddie County
City of Petersburg
Prince George County
Chesterfield County
City of Colonial Heights
Dinwiddie County
City of Petersburg
Prince George County
Board of Directors
Chairman: Percy Ashcraft, County Administrator, Prince George County
Vice-Chairman: Dr. Joseph Casey, County Administrator, Chesterfield County
Secretary/Treasurer: W. Kevin Massengill, County Administrator, Dinwiddie County
Other Members: Douglas E. Smith, City Manager, City of Colonial Heights; Aretha Ferrell-Benavides, City Manager, City of Petersburg
Management Staff
Robert C. Wichser, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE: Executive Director, Appomattox River Water Authority and South Central Wastewater Authority
James C. Gordon: Assistant Executive Director, Appomattox River Water Authority and South Central Wastewater Authority
Melissa B. Wilkins: Accounting/Office Manager, Appomattox River Water Authority and South Central Wastewater Authority
Michael Callen: Operations Manager
Raymond J. Burpoe: Maintenance Manager, Appomattox River Water Authority and South Central Wastewater Authority
Gerald L. Martin: Chief of Maintenance, Appomattox River Water Authority and South Central Wastewater Authority
Novelle C. Wilkerson: Laboratory Manager, Appomattox River Water Authority and South Central Wastewater Authority
Scott R. Farrar, Instrumentation/IT Manager, Appomattox River Water Authority and South Central Wastewater Authority