Hopewell city councilors concerned with lack of communication after recent sewage spill
VENN
HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — The city of Hopewell has provided more insight on what took place in the hours after the city's wastewater treatment plant experienced an electric failure. The July 12 sewage overflow event sent one million gallons of untreated sewage into nearby waterways.
During a special meeting on Tuesday, July 22, the director of the city's Department of Public Works, Mike Crocker, Jr., presented an update on the incident.
Crocker explained that three feed wires were compromised. This prevented the emergency generators from working.
Images shared during a July 22 city council meeting in Hopewell, regarding recent sewage overflow events. (Photo: 8News)
The response to the overflow is estimated to cost the city $167,000. During the meeting, Crocker provided the following breakdown:
- Portable Power Generator: $21,000
- Emergency Backup Pumps: $87,000
- Electrical Subcontractor: $49,000
- Crane Rental: $10,000
This special meeting was also the first opportunity councilors had to direct questions and concerns to Crocker. Several questions were raised about a lack of communication about the overflow to councilors.
"This makes no sense to me as to how we were not made aware," said Dominic R. Holloway, Sr., who serves as the councilor for Ward 7. "How on earth does something like this happen, and council finds out through the newspaper?"
In response, Crocker explained that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was first notified, followed by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the City's Emergency Operations Center. Councilors are not part of a chain of communication.
"One of the things that we discovered is that this town does not have a crisis communication policy," said interim city manager Michael Rogers.
Images shared during a July 22 city council meeting in Hopewell, regarding recent sewage overflow events. (Photo: 8News)
Councilmembers also said they took calls from several residents who expressed concerns about a pungent smell in the days after the overflow.
"We've lived here and smelled all the smells, but this seemed new," said Ward 5 councilor Susan Daye.
Crocker compared it to the smell of rotten eggs, saying that it was synonymous with sulfur. He explained it could be coming from industrial sources as opposed to the wastewater overflow.
This isn't the first sewage spill the city has seen in recent years. Months before this recent overflow, the DEQ issued a notice of violation for eight separate spills that happened over the course of 2024. Inspectors also noted that broken or out-of-service equipment was found.
"Turning Hopewell Water Renewal into an efficiently and effectively managed facility is akin to turning around an aircraft carrier," Crocker said. "I'm not [going to] sugarcoat it, it's not an easy task and it doesn't happen in a minute."
Crocker said the city is working on a communication plan that incorporates the city council. It plans to have an updated policy by September.
