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Well Pump Repair in Matoaca & the Lake Chesdin Side of Chesterfield

Chesterfield's southern edge, along the Appomattox River and Lake Chesdin, sits in a ZIP code most people think of as Petersburg's. If your home around Matoaca runs on a private well and the pump, tank or switch has quit, this page covers what's particular to well pump repair here: the 23803 address puzzle, the Fall Line, the reservoir next door that supplies county water but not your well, the nearest state drought monitoring well, and flood-zone rules for low-lying lots.

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The Petersburg ZIP with Chesterfield wells

ZIP 23803 is a Petersburg ZIP that also covers parts of Chesterfield and Dinwiddie counties. Chesterfield's 2024 parcel records count about 963 homes in the Chesterfield part of it with a recorded well and no county water connection. It's one of four ZIPs that together hold about 70% of the county's well homes.

The mail can be confusing. ZIP databases list Petersburg as the city for 23803, with "South Chesterfield" among the accepted alternatives, while "Matoaca" is flagged as a name the Postal Service doesn't use for it. So your address may read Petersburg even though your home, your well and your permits are all Chesterfield's. On the request form, put "Matoaca" or your road in the community box and 23803 in the ZIP box, and the contractor will know where you are.

Matoaca and the Appomattox

Matoaca is a census-designated place in Chesterfield County on the Appomattox River. The river matters to wells in two ways: the geology shifts near it, and low ground by any river raises floodplain questions.

Near the Fall Line

Virginia's Fall Line is where the hard rock of the Piedmont gives way to the sediments of the Coastal Plain. VirginiaPlaces calls Interstate 95 "a rough guide to the location of the geologic boundary," and points to rapids at the Fall Line on the Appomattox at Petersburg, west of I-95. Virginia Energy places Petersburg Granite under the center of Chesterfield and Coastal Plain sediments in the east. That puts this corner of the county near the boundary between them.

Which side a given home's well draws from isn't something the state sources map lot by lot, and it matters: the USGS's 1985 Piedmont study found that crystalline-rock wells gain little from drilling past about 300 feet and that acidic water is common in the Piedmont. If your well is struggling, ask the contractor what nearby wells are drilled into before weighing a deeper one.

Lake Chesdin supplies county water, not your well

Lake Chesdin is a 3,100-acre water supply reservoir on the Chesterfield and Dinwiddie line, run by the Appomattox River Water Authority from its office at 21300 Chesdin Road. Chesterfield calls it the largest of the county's water supply sources. Living near it doesn't mean your house is on that supply: a private well draws groundwater, and homes on wells are outside the county system unless they connect. To find out whether county water is available where you are, call Chesterfield Utilities at 804-748-1864.

The nearest drought monitoring well

DEQ judges drought in the Middle James region partly by two groundwater monitoring wells, and one of them, "Colonial Heights – 51G 1," is just across the line in the neighboring city. It's the closest state indicator well to this part of Chesterfield. Colonial Heights and Chesterfield were both under a drought watch in DEQ's October 2, 2026 update, which said groundwater levels had generally declined. Your own well can differ, so if the water is fading, have the pump checked before assuming the well has dropped. The drought page covers the full 2026 timeline.

Low-lying lots and flood rules

Two rules come into play near the river and the lake. Virginia's well regulations require the top of a well in a floodplain to sit at least 18 inches above the annual flood level. And while the state building code exempts a straight pump replacement from a permit, it lets the building official require one for exempt work in a special flood hazard area. If your lot is mapped in a flood zone, call Chesterfield Building Inspection at 804-751-4990 before pump work. After any flood that reaches the wellhead, VDH warns the water may be unfit to drink, so use bottled water until the well has been disinfected and tested.

Staying rural

In its August 2026 coverage of Chesterfield's draft comprehensive plan, RichmondBizSense reported that part of the drop in planned housing density in the Matoaca district came from residents "seeking to preserve rural land."

Matoaca-area well questions

My address says Petersburg. Am I in Chesterfield?

You may be. The 23803 ZIP covers parts of Petersburg, Chesterfield and Dinwiddie. The county that assesses your property is the one whose building office handles your permits.

Which health department handles my well?

For a Chesterfield address, the Chesterfield Health District, 804-748-1691, which also serves Colonial Heights.

I live near Lake Chesdin. Am I on county water?

Not because of the lake. If you have a well pump and a pressure tank, you're on a private well. Ask Utilities whether a county line is available at your address.

Does a pump replacement need a permit here?

Not from VDH. The state building code exempts a pump swap that doesn't change the water system, but in a special flood hazard area the building official can require one. Ask Building Inspection if your lot is in a flood zone.

How this site helps

Call or send a request with your road and ZIP, and if the contractor covers your area, it goes to one independent local well and pump contractor; the referral is free.

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Well acting up near the river or the lake?

Call or send a request and it goes to one independent local well and pump contractor. No charge for the referral.

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