PHOTOS: Broken equipment, vegetation growth and more found during 2024 inspection of Hopewell’s wastewater treatment plant

HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) -- Following seven incidents of sewage spills from Hopewell's wastewater treatment plant in 2024, but before two other spills, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) inspectors noted a plethora of equipment issues at the plant.

Throughout the last six months of 2024, Hopewell's wastewater treatment plant leaked roughly 164,000 gallons of sewage into waterways over the course of eight incidents.

After seven of those incidents, but before the eighth incident in 2024, DEQ inspectors visited the plant on Nov. 22, 2024, and noted a variety of issues with equipment being broken or out of service.

Segregated Preliminary Treatment influent and traveling screen used to remove large debris (Photo: DEQ)

Segregated Preliminary Treatment vortex grit tank, which was out of service (Photo: DEQ)

Industrial Preliminary Treatment velocity grit channels and grit lifts, with all grit removal functions out of service (Photo: DEQ)

Segregated Preliminary Treatment primary clarifier, with four out of six rail systems inoperable (Photo: DEQ)

Segregated Preliminary Treatment clarifier 3, out of service (Photo: DEQ)

Industrial Preliminary Treatment clarifier 6, out of service (Photo: DEQ)

Secondary clarifier in use with broken flight and rail system (front side). (Photo: DEQ)

Secondary clarifier (back side) with sludge off-gassing present; long-flight scrapers may be out of service. (Photo: DEQ)

Sodium hypochlorite delivery unit, not in service (Photo: DEQ)

Gravity thickener #1 (out of service) (Photo: DEQ)

In addition, inspectors noted the growth of vegetation in many areas, solids floating on top of wastewater that was screened, and a pipe into a tank for disinfecting wastewater that flows to an unknown location.

Industrial Preliminary Treatment clarifier 5 in use with broken flight and rail, vegetation on scum layer. (Photo: DEQ)

Segregated Preliminary Treatment clarifier 2 in use with broken flight and rail system, vegetation growing on scum layer. (Photo: DEQ)

Industrial Preliminary Treatment clarifier 4 in use with broken flight and rail, vegetation on scum layer. (Photo: DEQ)

Industrial Preliminary Treatment clarifier 5 with solids buildup (Photo: DEQ)

Segregated Preliminary Treatment Clarifier 1 weirs and baffled tank with solids and vegetation buildup (Photo: DEQ)

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor unit with rafting media/vegetation (Photo: DEQ)

Drain or sump in sodium hypochlorite tank — used to disinfect — secondary containment with unknown discharge point (Photo: DEQ)

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor units with excess media accumulated. Mixers not in use (Photo: DEQ)

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor unit (Photo: DEQ)

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor unit with accumulated media also present (Photo: DEQ)

Chlorine disinfection tanks with solids on water surface (Photo: DEQ)

Industrial Preliminary Treatment effluent with floating solids after screening (Photo: DEQ)

The inspection report said the plant experienced a total of 33 sanitary sewer overflows and unauthorized discharges in 2024, including 22 discharges from pump stations.

In addition, the plant reportedly did not have records showing that alarms were tested to ensure they were working properly.

These issues came to light following an additional incident in July of 2025, during which the plant leaked about a million gallons of sewage into waterways following an electrical failure caused by a lightning strike.

The full inspection report is available below.