DPU not told about fluoride spike at Richmond’s water plant until days later

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Staff at Richmond's water treatment plant (WTP) failed to notify the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) of the pump issue that caused fluoride levels to spike in the water supply until several days later.

During a city council meeting on Monday, May 5, DPU director Scott Morris provided an update to councilmembers about the city's water crisis recovery. This included sharing new information about the late April fluoride spike.

While the initial pump issue occurred on Wednesday, April 23, leadership on-site at the plant did not inform the DPU until about 8:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 -- about four days later.

This was shortly before surrounding counties, Henrico and Hanover, were notified by the department that the issue caused an "unknown amount" of fluoride to be released into the water, prompting the counties to send out separate statements informing residents.

The issue was caused by an "improper valve lineup" during a fluoride pump's installation, according to Morris, which eventually caused levels of fluoride to increase over a period of five hours.

Morris did not specifically identify the involved employee or employees, nor did he mention anything about any potential consequences.