Henrico County Public Works & Public Utilities

11/02/2026

Thank you to our crew members who came in on the weekend to get this done for our residents!

10/31/2026

The eastbound lanes of Church Road between Bywater Drive and Hidden Oaks Lane are closed due to a water main break. A detour will use Causeway and Lauderdale drives.

Public Utilities is on site and investigating the break. The department is aware of some water service impacts in the area and crews are delivering bottled water to affected customers.

If you are experiencing any water service issues, please contact Public Utilities at its after-hours number, 804-501-5025.

10/29/2026

The Henrico County Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is remediating conditions following two sewer main breaks in Gillies Creek that occurred Friday and Monday. Crews were dispatched immediately on Friday evening and have completed repairs. However, as a result of the break, wastewater has flowed into a short section of Gillies near Kemp Avenue.

Impacts from the wastewater have been minimal as crews were able to hold a large portion of the wastewater in the nearby Gillies Creek Pump Station and send it slowly to Henrico’s Water Reclamation Facility in eastern Henrico for treatment. The pump station and main are now operating normally.

DPU completed repairs to the sewer main Tuesday afternoon. Crews remain on site to remove impacted soil near the break and investigate impacts from the discharge. DPU is working closely with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) during these efforts.

Gillies is not typically used for recreation as the creek is narrow and shallow; however, it flows into the James River about 1 ½ miles downstream from the break.

While the risk of contamination of the James is small, Henrico discourages the public from participating in recreational activities in the creek or near its entry to the river at this time. As additional precautions, the public is advised:
- To avoid eating fish that appear to be sick, such as swimming weakly or floating
- To wash your hands after handling fish
- To follow normal sanitary rules when cleaning, skinning and fileting fish, including washing hands before starting and after finishing. Wash cutting boards and knives with warm, soapy water, and clean counters that may have contacted raw fish
- To always cook fish to a safe temperature (145 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

Residents are encouraged to report any signs of contamination by calling 804-501-4275 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or 804-501-5025 (after hours).

10/28/2026

First we share a social media page, now we share a project! 👏🤝

10/20/2026

Dumbarton Road will have intermittent lane closures on its bridge over the CSX railroad, located between Staples Mill and Byrdhill roads, between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays for rehabilitation of the overpass.

Dumbarton is temporarily reconfigured to two lanes in each direction. This will allow traffic to flow in both directions as crews close one lane at a time to perform their work. Motorists will temporarily use lanes that have been marked for bicycles.

The closures took effect Tuesday and are expected to take approximately three months.

Motorists are encouraged to find alternate routes during the construction hours.

10/20/2026

Keep Henrico Beautiful and Henrico County Recreation & Parks will hold the 2026 Plant Native! Festival from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Dorey Park. 🌱 Check out this video from last year's event to see the fun for yourself!

The Plant Native! Festival is a celebration of native plants, the ecosystems they support and local organizations working hard to protect the environment. This year’s festival will include workshops by local experts on gardening and other related topics, kids’ crafts and an Insect Costume Showcase and Parade for children 12 and under.

Read more at https://henrico.gov/news/2026/10/keep-henrico-beautiful-to-host-fifth-annual-plant-native-festival/

10/20/2026

We have some ideas for improvements to West Broad Street, and we want your opinion!

Join us tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the ACE Center at Hermitage High School (8350 Hermitage High Blvd) to discuss two projects that would add sidewalks, crosswalks, GRTC transit stop improvements and intersection modifications between Willow Lawn Drive and Parham Road.

To learn more about the event and projects, visit https://henrico.gov/calendar/public-hearing-w-broad-street-pedestrian-transit-projects/.

10/15/2026

Energy Awareness Month is a national effort to raise awareness about energy conservation and energy efficiency. The Sustainability Division in Public Works is celebrating with the announcement of a new opportunity for residents to go solar!

The division has partnered with Switch Together, a statewide program with Solar United Neighbors, to help residents access solar energy.

Switch Together is designed to help homeowners purchase solar panels as a group to help reduce the cost. Interested homeowners can apply for free on the Switch Together website. All applicants will receive a no-obligation, personal recommendation on whether solar is a good fit for their home. Applications are due by Wednesday, Nov. 18.

To apply for Switch Together, please visit https://switchtogether.com/en/solar/henricocounty/home.

10/14/2026

Keep Henrico Beautiful needs volunteers! ⬇

We're looking for volunteers for the Plant Native! Festival on Saturday, October 24th. If you’d like to help with the festival, fill out the form below to select a shift helping with our tree giveaway or greeting attendees as they enter the festival. If you have questions, email us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to see you all!

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/Q1Ri7Cj5LG

10/14/2026

What’s the Word on the Street? Now, you can listen whenever you’d like with our new podcast!

In this first episode, meet Bentley Chan and Terrell Hughes, the directors of Public Utilities and Public Works. Listen as they discuss goals for their departments, what’s changed in the last few years and what’s coming up.

Interested in a specific topic for an episode? Let us know in the comments! We’ll be using this platform to discuss projects, initiatives and other news coming from DPU and DPW.

Watch the full podcast on YouTube by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzEoQKDVqIY. Sign up for the Word on the Street monthly newsletter at https://publicinput.com/hub/Subscriptions/2531.