If you're selling in Stoneleigh this winter, the water bills you share with buyers are calculated from the Town of Round Hill's standard out-of-town schedule. Those charges are the same for every customer outside the town line. The buyer reading them is moving into the one part of the town's system that Round Hill has decided to price on its own.
The town's June 2026 request for proposals for a water and sewer rate study asks the consultant to "prepare a separate cost of service analysis for the Stoneleigh System based on the future projected capital improvement projects." The work was scheduled for July through December 2026, with the final report going to the Town Council in January 2027. So a house that goes under contract in Stoneleigh now will likely close around the time the town first sees what it costs to serve this neighborhood alone.
A System Built to Stay Private
Stoneleigh's water arrangement works differently from the rest of Round Hill's, and the reason is in the town's description of how the system was built. In the rate-study RFP, the town says the 93,000-gallon Stoneleigh Water Tank serves 150 residential customers and the Stoneleigh Golf and Country Club, all outside the town's corporate limits. A developer built the distribution system in the early 1990s, mostly with 6- and 8-inch PVC pipe.
Stoneleigh was first tied into the town's Main Zone, but the town says the two "essentially operated independently due to elevation differences." In 2021 Round Hill disconnected Stoneleigh from the Main Zone "to eliminate a stretch of high-pressure dead-end line."
At an earlier council briefing, Town Project Manager Rob Lohr explained the gap between the system's design and modern standards. As Loudoun Now reported, he said the developer built the system three decades ago expecting it to stay private, and that many parts of it don't meet current standards.
"There were 50 decisions made at that time that we wouldn't have done."
The quote helps explain why the town is pricing Stoneleigh separately. The system has its own tank, its own pipe and its own history, so its repair costs don't line up with the rest of the town's.
What the Pressure Does Underground
In the town's own words, the Stoneleigh Zone "experiences high pressures throughout most of the community." In November 2025, Loudoun Now reported pressures above 100 pounds per square inch in some areas. The cause is the neighborhood's significant elevation change, and the pressure contributes to frequent line breaks.
The town says most of its water line breaks happen in the Stoneleigh Zone and gives four causes:
- High pressures
- Corrosive soils
- Substandard material used for water lines
- Improper water line bedding
Inside each house, the line between the town's job and the owner's job is fairly clear. Round Hill's 2022 water quality report says Loudoun County has required household pressure-reducing valves or regulators for several years, and that new water service built in the county must include one. The report says these valves are the homeowner's responsibility. It recommends having a plumber check the valve if household water pressure or volume changes. In a neighborhood where street pressure runs this high, the valve at the house is the homeowner's main protection from it.
The Estimate Has Changed With Every Look
Each time the council has seen the proposed fix, its scope and price have been different. Here are the figures as each source reported them:
| Source | What was described | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Loudoun Now, earlier council briefing | New pressure zones: a booster pump station, 3,350 feet of replaced water lines, six pressure-reducing valve vaults | $3.25 million |
| Loudoun Now, November 2025 | Two new pressure zones and reconnection to the main network, designed in two phases | $4.7 million total, $2.4 million for Phase 1 |
| Adopted FY2027–FY2031 Utility CIP, cost updated March 13, 2026 | Stoneleigh Pressure Zones Development Phase 1 | $4.2 million |
The current figure covers Phase 1 alone, and it is close to the total that was quoted for the whole project in November 2025. Earlier this year, Loudoun Now also reported that a larger project to replace the system's water lines may be needed.
The town's utility capital improvement budget shows how far along the work is in dollars. Through June 30, 2026, the project had $150,000 appropriated, and $15,716 had been spent as of March 15, 2026. The plan uses the remaining $134,284 in FY2027, sets a $50,000 request for FY2028, and places $4 million in FY2029 through FY2031. In short, Stoneleigh is in the design stage, and almost all of the construction money is several budget years away.
The final design hasn't been settled either. The town's January 2026 draft strategic action plan describes Phase One as a new booster pumping station, a water main to the Stoneleigh Tank, and connections from some wells to the main zone at the Evening Star Tank. The June 2026 RFP describes the town considering a series of pressure-reducing valves and reconnecting Stoneleigh to the Main Zone.
Stoneleigh has a second, smaller project in the same budget. The Stoneleigh Well & Chlorination System Upgrade has an updated cost of $400,000, with $351,344 planned for use in FY2027.
Who Pays Is the Question Stantec Was Hired to Answer
The council has been asking who should carry these costs for at least a year. During the Oct. 31 discussion covered in Loudoun Now's November 2025 report, several council members objected to having all utility customers pay for improvements that would serve 80 homes. They said the project would need substantial funding from the county government, possibly combined with a special tax district so the affected owners could help pay. The council approved $105,109 for preliminary design, though members said they weren't sure how the project would ultimately be funded.
The idea came up again during this year's budget season. Loudoun Now reported that the rate study might look at a separate way to finance Stoneleigh's upgrades. It also reported that council members floated a special tax district or higher rates for Stoneleigh customers as ways to move the projects forward faster.
Next came the consultant. Before its August recess, the council approved a $75,000 contract with Stantec Consulting Services for the water and sewer rate study. Stantec was the selection committee's top choice of five firms that submitted proposals. According to Loudoun Now, the town last hired an outside consultant for this work in 2004, and the annual assessment is usually done by Mayor Scott Ramsey.
Under the RFP, Stantec is asked to evaluate whether costs are distributed fairly and in proportion, prepare the separate Stoneleigh cost-of-service analysis, and work with the town's financial advisors on possible financing scenarios. The council will decide what to do with the results, starting with the January 2027 report.
What Today's Bill Reflects
Until then, Stoneleigh customers pay under the town's adopted FY2027 fee schedule, which runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The out-of-town monthly charges are:
- Water: a $19.71 minimum for up to 1,000 gallons, then $0.01971 per gallon
- Sewer: a $20.70 minimum for up to 1,000 gallons, then $0.0207 per gallon
These are the same rates every out-of-town customer pays. They don't reflect a separate Stoneleigh cost-of-service number, because that analysis is still underway. A buyer who closes this winter would be paying these rates at the moment the council begins weighing the Stantec findings for the next budget.
A Few Questions That Come Up
Is the Stoneleigh pressure project under construction? Not yet. The adopted capital plan funds design work through FY2027 and places $4 million in FY2029 through FY2031.
Has Round Hill created a special tax district for Stoneleigh? Council members have suggested one, along with higher Stoneleigh rates, as reported by Loudoun Now. The rate study with the separate Stoneleigh analysis is scheduled to report in January 2027.
Who maintains the pressure-reducing valve at the house? The town's 2022 water quality report says household pressure-reducing valves are the homeowner's responsibility.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm how any rate, district or valve requirement applies to your property with the town, your attorney or a licensed plumber.
If you're buying or selling in Stoneleigh while Round Hill works through this, Suzanne Ager can help you gather the town documents that belong in your file and plan your timing around the January 2027 report. Book an appointment when it suits you.
