Richmond addresses some of state’s concerns about its water system

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The city of Richmond is taking steps to address what a state agency indicated were issues with its water system, including the development and implementation of policies that could hopefully prevent another water crisis.

In late January, the Virginia Department of Health's (VDH) Office of Drinking Water (ODW) claimed Richmond was not capable of providing its residents with reliable access to water. It did so in a notice of alleged violation, one that accused the city of failing to heed two of the state's Waterworks Regulations.

The notice came after Richmond and multiple nearby counties were left largely without water for six days -- a crisis that began on Jan. 6 with a power outage at the city's water treatment plant.

MORE: VDH says Richmond is not capable of reliably providing citizens with water

“ODW asserts that the water crisis should never have happened and was completely
avoidable,” the ODW said in its Jan. 16 notice to city officials. “The City of Richmond could have prevented the crisis with better preparation, by verifying critical equipment was functional before the storm event, ensuring sufficient staffing was physically present at the WTP in the event of a power outage and making sure staff present at the WTP during the storm event had appropriate training to effectively respond to the temporary power outage.”

The ODW instructed Richmond to take multiple corrective actions within 30 days of the initial notice -- most of which surrounded the office's belief that city employees were not properly prepared to respond to an outage like this.

On Feb. 21, the city provided the VDH with a letter addressing the notice and detailing the steps it had taken to implement the provided changes.

Training on how to handle a power outage

First, the city of Richmond was told to ensure that staff at the water treatment plants were trained on power outage response.

Both a 2022 federal inspection of Richmond's water system and a more recent, preliminary report from a contracting firm hired by the city found an overall lack of governing policies that employees could follow during everyday operations. Additionally, they noted that the water plant had no established emergency response procedures.

PREVIOUS: Five concerning truths about Richmond’s public water system: 2022 EPA report

According to city officials, staff were trained verbally after the loss of power on Jan. 6 and then "again in a formal setting." Training documents attached to the letter indicate that these more "formal" training sessions took place in mid-February.

Per those documents, the training included topics like how to stay safe during an outage, how to manually switch between power sources when necessary, as well as troubleshooting steps one can take in the event of an emergency -- among others.

These Standards of Practice (SOPs) were attached to the letter for the ODW to review, but they were redacted in the public copy.

The city added that it is working on developing new and revising old SOPs that will "include all aspects of routine plant operations and emergency operations," all of which it expects will be complete by June.

Proof that back-up power systems were tested, working

Secondly, the city was told to provide the ODW with a record of testing of the plant's emergency, back-up power systems that proved they were working as intended. This was to include proof that the water treatment plant's computer system, SCADA, could continue to operate during an outage.

If the city could not provide such records, it was to provide a plan of action on how any and all affected systems would soon be restored to working order.

The Jan. 6 outage at the water treatment plant took place after its main power source went down and the automatic transfer between sources failed. It was later discovered that a faulty "bus tie," or connector, caused said failure.

PREVIOUS: Richmond officials address water crisis report, engineer gives analysis

Per the city, that bus tie was replaced on Jan. 13. Rounds of testing were conducted on this and various other back-up power systems in the following days. The city went on to say that SCADA should be able to remain functional for an hour in the event of a future power outage once a March 31 upgrade is completed.

Plan to ensure regular testing of back-up power systems

Thirdly, the city was told to establish and present a plan to make sure that these back-up power systems are regularly tested, particularly before storm events.

The city noted that it had provided its planned maintenance schedule to the VDH separately -- it was not attached to the letter.

Plant employees will be trained in June on all of the new and updated SOPs starting in June, including a lesson on how to switch power sources, as previously said. After this, the city said training will take place annually.

Additionally, the plant's emergency generators will get their own automatic transfer switch by November, per the city. Another SOP update will come after this upgrade.

Ensuring adequate staffing, especially during storms

Finally, the city was told to describe its typical staffing levels, particularly during a significant storm event.

City officials cited a Virginia code section that dictates a minimum of two employees is required when a Class 1 water treatment plant -- like Richmond's -- is in operation.

The code section goes on to say that "increasing staffing attendance may be required by VDH on a case-by-case basis to protect public health."

PREVIOUS: Richmond opens application for funds after water crisis

Per the city, changes to its staffing will be further evaluated after contracting firm HNTB finishes its investigation into the water crisis.

"In the interim, the City of Richmond intends to augment operational staff with maintenance staff during storm events where a power outage is likely to occur while ongoing work is completed at the facility to enhance reliability," the city said.

Officials added that this additional staffing will be reevaluated at a later date as conditions improve.

"Our commitment to public health and compliance with state laws and regulations remains
unwavering," the city said.

What comes next for the city, VDH?

HNTB will release its full report into the Richmond-area water crisis no later than April 1.

The VDH's own investigation -- which it launched after issuing Richmond with the notice of alleged violation -- should be completed no later than April 7.

Both reports will ultimately provide Richmond with recommendations on how it can prevent something like a water crisis from happening again.