HENRY COUNTY (WSLS10) - Henry County is one step closer to expanding the Philpott Water Treatment Facility.
Ownership of the facility has been transferred to the county's Public Service Authority in an effort to make getting money for the project easier.
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The PSA has already secured a commitment from the Virginia Department of Health Office of Drinking Water for a low interest loan fore the project.
The expansion will allow the facility to produce up to six million gallons of drinking water per day. Currently, the facility can only produce four million gallons per day.
This expansion, which is expected to cost around $12 million, was built into the county's last water fee increase four years ago.
"We're real pleased that we don't anticipate any rate increase this year, and we're confident that there should not be a rate increase for a year or so," Deputy County Administrator Dale Wagoner said.
Wagoner added that this expansion is critical to the future economic growth of the county, as it will allow the facility to produce enough water to accommodate residents and businesses that come to the county in the future.
The project is expected to start early 2016 and will likely take about a year to complete.