Henrico resident says her water hasn’t been the same since water crisis in January 2025

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Tuesday, Jan. 6, marks one year since a power outage at Richmond's water treatment plant left thousands without safe water for nearly a week.

Varina resident Beatrix Plaza told 8News her water hasn't been the same since.

Surrounding areas, including Hanover, Goochland and Henrico counties, were also impacted. 

"You realize how necessary water actually is for daily functioning," Plaza said, thinking back on the water crisis.

But it was the return of water last January left her scratching her head.  

"My water, when it first came back, it was really frothy," she said. "It had a lot of, it just like, a lot of sediment. Like if you put the water in the glass, you would see things settle...We turned it on; it was full of bubbles and sediment. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s stuff in this water.’” 

But it wasn’t just what was in the water.

“The pressure in my bathroom, it just never sort of came back," she said.

Plaza said she didn’t think to report the issues to the county and has just accepted it.

Over the next 10 years, Henrico hopes to make significant improvements to its own water system without heavily relying on Richmond, with dozens of projects planned, including a water treatment facility expansion.

The county said the improvements will be largely funded by a 5% increase in water and sewer rates.

Plaza and thousands of other residents in the area have to trust the city's fixes will stick.

“I don’t know that I distrust but I think I have a healthy level of skepticism," she said.

The supervisor for the Varina district, Tyrone Nelson, said he isn’t aware of any lingering water issues for residents and recommends reporting them to the county.