Buchanan County Sewer Infrastructure Damage

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In collaboration with:

Recreation Advisory for Slate Creek and the Levisa Fork River

This page is dedicated to sharing updates about ongoing sewage discharges from parts of the Buchanan County Public Service Authority (BCPSA) sewage system, which led to a recreation advisory for parts of Slate Creek and the Levisa Fork River.

Background

In February 2025, a series of winter storms caused heavy flooding across southwest Virginia, including areas in Buchanan County. On February 15, the flooding badly damaged BCPSA’s sewage collection system. The damage includes broken sewer lines, manholes that moved out of place, and pipes clogged with rocks and gravel.

Because of this damage, sewage is leaking into parts of Slate Creek and the Levisa Fork River.

Updates will be provided below on a periodic basis.

Advisory Area

The Cumberland Plateau Health District issued a recreation advisory for Slate Creek and the Levisa Fork River.

Update: June 26, 2026 - FINAL

On June 26, 2026, the Cumberland Plateau Health District lifted the recreational water advisory for the Levisa River and Slate Creek.

The advisory was issued March 20, 2025, due to ongoing sewage overflows from sewer mains that were damaged by flooding. Repairs have been completed and full flow has been restored to the Buchanan County Service Authority wastewater treatment plant in Conaway.

Buchanan County Public Service Authority collected E. coli samples from the impacted area, and the analyses indicate bacterial levels in the Levisa River are at or below historic levels.

Update: June 3, 2026

The Buchanan County Public Service Authority's contractor, Hill Construction, has completed the sewer line installation near Norfolk Southern's (NS) Weller Yard. Upon completion of the new sewer line installation, it was revealed that a section of sewer line below NS's Weller Yard is still blocked with rock and debris from the flood. Hill Construction is currently in the process of cleaning out that section of line, and they expect to have full flow restored to the wastewater treatment plant (E) by the end of this week or early next week.

Buchanan PSA Update 03.02.2026

Update: March 2, 2026

Update: Feb. 2, 2026

The BCPSA has completed repairs to all of the damaged sewage collection system except for a section near Norfolk Southern's Weller Yard. This final length of damaged sewer line lies in a deep section of the Levisa Fork River and repairs will have to be completed by a contractor. BCPSA solicited bids for the remaining repair work on Jan. 6, 2026. BCPSA is currently negotiating with the selected contractor on proposed contract items. No timetable for completion of final repairs was available at the time of this update.

Update: Aug. 6, 2025

On July 2, 2025, BCPSA started repair work in the Slate Creek area. Sewer lines that were washed out at the Virginia Funeral Home and Mountain Mission School were reconnected and manholes were cleaned out. There were some work delays due to periods of heavy rain and elevated stream levels. As of July 31, 2025, sewer repairs along Slate Creek have been completed with the exception of one area across from the Heritage Hall Nursing Home.

Buchanan PSA update 08.05.2025

Update: June 18, 2025

Update: May 13, 2025

Repairs to the damaged Buchanan County Public Service Authority (BCPSA) sewage system have begun; however, due to the extent of damage and the complexities associated with repairing sewer infrastructure that is in or adjacent to the Levisa Fork River and Slate Creek, full system repairs are not expected to be complete until the first quarter of 2027.

With the exception of a missing manhole in Royal City, the BCPSA has completed manhole repairs along the section shown below. The BCPSA has also been working to clear sewer lines that were clogged with sand and gravel. In doing so, they encountered a section of broken sewer line in the vicinity of Royal City that will have to be replaced. Due to river depth in this area, replacement will be difficult and will only be able to occur when river conditions improve.

Buchanan PSA update 05.13.2025

Virginia DEQ

Buchanan County Sewer Infrastructure Damage

In collaboration with:

Recreation Advisory for Slate Creek and the Levisa Fork River

Background

Advisory Area

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