NEWPORT NEWS, VA – HRSD Commissioners and staff, joined by the Honorable Andrew Wheeler, Director of the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management, and several state and local representatives gathered today at the HRSD James River Treatment Plant in Newport News to break ground on the first full-scale SWIFT (Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow) facility.

The James River SWIFT facility is expected to be online in 2026 and will be able to replenish the Potomac aquifer with up to 16 million gallons of drinking-water quality SWIFT Water™ per day using advanced treatment processes. The project also includes advanced nutrient reduction improvements for the James River Treatment Plant and will provide significant nature-based shoreline stabilization and other land improvements, along with several park amenities to benefit the community, including approximately two miles of new walking trails providing public access to river views and the nearby marina, additional park restrooms and reservable public meeting space.

"Governor Youngkin is committed to restoring the Bay and to ensuring that all Virginians have access to clean, safe drinking water. This project, and other innovative approaches like SWIFT are key to achieving this objective," remarked Director Wheeler.

HRSD General Manager, Jay Bernas added, "With the benefit of the research data we’ve gained from more than four years of replenishing the aquifer at our SWIFT Research Center, I am confident this facility will be one of the most advanced water treatment facilities in the Commonwealth, featuring a robust multiple barrier approach to water treatment."

About SWIFT: SWIFT is an innovative water treatment project in eastern Virginia designed to ensure a sustainable source of groundwater to meet current and future needs in the region. SWIFT takes HRSD’s already highly treated water that would otherwise be discharged into the Elizabeth, James or York rivers and puts it through additional rounds of advanced water treatment to produce drinking water quality SWIFT Water™, which is treated to match the existing groundwater chemistry and added to the Potomac Aquifer, the primary source of groundwater throughout eastern Virginia. This will ensure a sustainable source of groundwater while addressing environmental challenges such as Chesapeake Bay restoration, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion. Once fully implemented in 2032, SWIFT will have the capability of replenishing the Potomac Aquifer with up to 100 million gallons of SWIFT Water™ per day.

About HRSD: A political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, HRSD was created by public referendum in 1940 and currently serves 20 cities and counties in southeast Virginia - an area with a population of 1.9 million.

HRSD Vision: Future Generations will inherit clean waterways and be able to keep them clean.

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