Located in the valley of the Blue Ridge and Alleghany mountains sits the Town of Buchanan, a town with a population of 1,200. On April 1st, 2009, the Virginia Department of Health issued a boil water order after finding evidence of a microscopic parasite in one of the Town’s four wells. This began a project by VDH and VRA to fund a new micro-filtration plant through the Virginia Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project, a 17-month ordeal, culminated in the new plant being dedicated in August 2010.

The micro-filtration plant filters and chlorinates water pumped from the previously contaminated well. Thanks to the leadership of Buchanan’s Town Mayor Tom Middlecamp, a retired state trooper who provides his considerable services to the Town for $100 a month, the Town’s residents once again will have access to that essential resource, clean and safe drinking water.