Hopewell appoints new deputy director of water renewal to oversee operations at troubled water treatment plant

HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) -- Hopewell has appointed a new deputy director of water renewal following an incident in July when an electrical failure at the city's wastewater treatment facility discharged about one million gallons of untreated sewage into the James River.

On Monday, Dec. 1, the city announced that Andy Fitzwater had been appointed as its new deputy director of water renewal.

According to an overview of the position posted by the city to LinkedIn, Fitzwater will oversee wastewater treatment operations, labs and pretreatment, and will manage division programs as well as engineering projects. He will also be expected to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and policies.

Fitzwater reportedly began his duties on Wednesday, Nov. 11. A city spokesperson said he has more than four decades of experience in operations, maintenance, safety and project management across manufacturing, construction and military sectors.

Fitzwater previously served as a maintenance coordinator for several operational areas, where the city said he delivered safe, on-time outages, directed contractor activities, ensured compliance with safety standards and water treatment processes, and oversaw preventive maintenance programs.

According to the city, Fitzwater spent more than 20 years as a shift leader at Honeywell, where he reportedly oversaw daily operations, achieved production goals and ensured adherence to budgets.

Earlier in his career, the spokesperson said Fitzwater worked as a superintendent for Blevins Construction, where he managed subcontractors and oversaw custom homebuilding projects.

Fitzwater also served for nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he achieved the rank of staff sergeant.

PREVIOUS: Hopewell wastewater treatment plant issues

Fitzwater's appointment comes months after an incident on July 11, when a late-night electrical failure at Hopewell's wastewater treatment plant resulted in one million gallons of untreated sewage being discharged into the James River.

After that incident, it came to light that this was not the first time in recent years that such a spill occurred. A total of 164,000 gallons of partially-treated sewage leaked into the James across several incidents in 2024. A related state inspection noted that the plant was found to be full of broken and out-of-service machinery.

The city’s Department of Public Works said it is working to address those issues during a July 22 city council meeting. At that same meeting, councilors revealed that they had learned about the sewage spill from news outlets. It was discovered that the city lacked a crisis communication policy.