Richmond, Virginia, expands boil water advisory after treatment plant issues
A boil water advisory impacting a large swath of Virginia’s capital city was issued on May 27, leaving many residents and local businesses without safe and drinkable tap water.
The advisory was issued after Richmond's water treatment plant experienced an operational issue in the early morning hours of May 27, according to a news release. City officials in Richmond, Virginia, said high turbidity and poor water quality in the system caused some of the plant's filters to clog.
Richmond officials initially said the issue, which temporarily reduced finished water production, had been resolved and would not require a boil water advisory. But by 11 a.m. ET, the city and the Virginia Department of Health issued an advisory for multiple neighborhoods north of the James River. City officials noted that the filters re-clogged after running at full production for over an hour.
"In this event, it looks like the raw water quality decreased, which caused a need to have additional backwashing or draining of those filters," Scott Morris, director of the Richmond Department of Public Utilities, said during an afternoon news conference. "(The water) that was in the basin had a very poor water quality, and it impacted a majority of the filters simultaneously."
By 7 p.m. ET, city officials expanded the boil water advisory to several other neighborhoods. Impacted areas include northern neighborhoods, parts of downtown, and portions of South Richmond, according to a map from the Department of Public Utilities.
Richmond officials warned that some customers in these areas may experience a total loss of water service, while others may experience a loss in water pressure. It was unclear how long the advisory would be in place.
City officials added that the water system needs to be fully pressurized and two tests must be conducted, about 16 hours apart, for the advisory to be lifted.
'It’s just kind of the same thing over and over again'
Though food service businesses are allowed to remain open under guidelines from the state health department, some businesses opted to modify their menus or close early on May 27.
Axios and WWBT reported that the latest boil water advisory forced dozens of Richmond restaurants, coffee shops, and bars to close or reduce operations. Many expressed frustration with the advisory, noting that small businesses still have not financially recovered from the city's water crisis in January, according to Axios.
"It’s just kind of the same thing over and over again," Kayla Marbley, a server and bartender, told WWBT. I’m a service industry worker. If we’re closed for five days, I’m not making money either, so it’s frustrating, you know, it really is."
Latest operational issue with Richmond's water treatment facility
On January 6, Richmond’s water treatment plant experienced a power failure, resulting in the loss of water service and boil water advisories for hundreds of thousands of residents across the region. The boil water advisory was lifted after five days at 11:30 a.m. ET on January 11.
At the time, city officials said a winter weather-related power outage impacted operations at the water plant along the James River. The power disruption caused an issue with the water plant's uninterrupted power supply, the city said, which allowed water to flood the filter gallery — an intermediate part of the treatment process that contains "critical water infrastructure, like pumps, filters, and electrical systems."
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a final report in April from the state health department on the water crisis and announced a second notice of violation against the city.
The report found that "significant operational, procedural, and infrastructure failures" contributed to the crisis. The report also noted that the crisis was avoidable and blamed the city's poor maintenance of the system and ineffective emergency plans.
"The disruption of a safe and reliable water supply in Richmond this past January never should have happened,” Youngkin said in a statement. "Moving forward, it should never happen again, and I’ve directed the Department of Health to ensure Richmond takes all corrective actions necessary to achieve that objective. The people of Richmond and the surrounding counties persevered through this preventable crisis, and now it’s time for city leaders to step up for their citizens."
What to do during a boil water advisory
During the May 27 news conference, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula advised residents to boil tap water before using it.
All residents have been asked to conserve water as a precautionary measure and "ensure all needs are met during this time," according to the news release. Temporary conservation measures include shortening shower times, avoiding unnecessary toilet flushes, avoiding washing clothes for as long as possible, and postponing washing dishes, if possible.
The city also advised residents:
- Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public, or private buildings.
- Do not use ice made from water on May 27. Discard the ice and sanitize ice machines and/or ice trays.
- Do not use tap water to make drinks or wash fruits and vegetables – use boiled or bottled water.
- Do not wash dishes using tap water – use boiled water or paper plates.
- Do not brush your teeth with tap water – use boiled or bottled water.
- Do not cook with tap water, unless your food will be boiled vigorously for three minutes.
Contributing: Amaris Encinas, Paste BN