Richmond forms two work groups to tackle water system woes

Richmond resident Kyle Levesque takes water samples from Wayside Spring in the Forest Hill neighborhood to be tested during a citywide water outage in Richmond, Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce for the Virginia Mercury)

Facing renewed scrutiny after back-to-back water crises, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula has announced the creation of two new water-focused work groups aimed at building a more resilient regional system and restoring public trust.

“These two work groups mark a critical step forward in building a stronger, more resilient water system for the region,” Avula said in a statement. “Just today, we saw that spirit of collaboration in action as Richmond provided additional water to our neighboring locality during their planned maintenance. That’s what partnership looks like: clear communication, shared problem-solving, and mutual support.”

The announcement comes just weeks after a second major boil water advisory in less than six months rattled large portions of the city and surrounding counties. Though other central Virginia localities including Hopewell and Petersburg most recently experienced water-related emergencies, Richmond’s earlier water crises —  and its recovery and resilience efforts — remain a top focus of public concern.

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In January, a cascade of failures at Richmond’s aging Water Treatment Plant left thousands without safe water for nearly a week. And in late May, another operational issue forced the city to issue an emergency alert affecting dozens of neighborhoods across Richmond’s Northside, Southside and central districts.

Of the newly founded groups, one will focus internally on scenario planning and long-term financial strategy. Led by Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald and Public Utilities Director Scott Morris, the team will evaluate capital investment needs, debt management strategies and ratepayer impacts. They will consult with external financial experts, including Davenport Financial Advisors and Raftelis.

The second group will be a regional collaboration, including water utility leaders and technical experts from Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico counties, whose water systems connect to Richmond’s. That team will coordinate operations, capital improvement plans, rate models, and joint funding requests. It will also formalize a routine communication structure to keep all partners updated.

“These work groups and real-time collaborations are exactly what it takes to meet the challenges of modern infrastructure,” Morris said. “The ability to assist Henrico in this way underscores our capacity, but more importantly, it shows how jurisdictional coordination helps us all move forward with confidence.”

But the mayor’s announcement lands in the shadow of Richmond’s troubled recent track record. 

On May 27, just as the system was recovering from early-morning repairs, filters at the water plant re-clogged after running at full capacity. Pressure dropped in the Ginter Park tank, and by mid-morning, officials had issued a boil water advisory that later expanded across the city, covering areas from Carytown to Manchester and VCU to Ancarrow’s Landing.

New boil water advisory issued in Richmond, months after January water crisis

Avula acknowledged that the city’s messaging to residents changed throughout the day, with the first public notice assuring the public that drinking water was unaffected, followed by a citywide boil alert a few hours later. He said the delay was due to the city’s efforts to first alert neighboring localities and reduce demand before informing the broader public.

The city had reached out to Chesterfield and Henrico counties to “try to figure out, ‘hey, what can we do to reduce demand on the system?’” Avula said at the time. “That allowed us to have more time to recover the facility and then make a plan of action to move forward.”

The flip-flop in messaging only added to public frustration following the January disaster, which state health officials have called “completely avoidable.” 

In an April report, the Virginia Department of Health blamed the January failure on “a long chain of preventable failures,” including untested backup batteries, broken valves, and a failure to follow emergency protocols. The water plant flooded after a winter storm knocked out power and backup systems failed.

“The crisis could have been prevented with better operational decisions,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton upon the report’s release. “Our goal now is to ensure corrective actions are taken swiftly and effectively, so Richmond-area families can trust their water supply.”

In response to the January incident, the city received a second formal violation notice and is now under state mandate to develop a corrective action plan. An independent engineering probe identified more than $63 million in urgent infrastructure upgrades on top of the $60 million already proposed in Richmond’s capital plan.

Those include automating emergency systems, modernizing electrical infrastructure, and redesigning critical flood-prone elements of the treatment plant.

While Avula praised the Department of Public Utilities’ recent work, the VDH report described a “culture of complacency” where makeshift fixes became standard and systemic risks went unaddressed.

Now, as summer heats up, the mayor hopes that formalizing collaboration and financial planning will signal a turning point. Both newly created work groups have already begun meeting to chart next steps, the city said in a statement.