Richmond DPU highlights major progress nearly 1 year after water crisis

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond’s Department of Utilities (DPU) has released a progress update on operations at the city’s water treatment plant nearly a year after a major failure left hundreds of thousands of residents without drinkable water for almost a week.

DPU Director Scott Morris told 8News that his team has worked diligently over the past year to correct the issues that contributed to the widespread disruption in early January.

“I feel very confident that we've planned accordingly,” Morris said. “If anything were to occur, we have quick, responsive actions.”

Morris said the department has significantly increased its internal accountability and is committed to addressing problems swiftly.

“There’s a high threshold of accountability in the department now,” he said. “The team has been doing an exceptional job of making sure we are committed to doing the right thing and correcting any issues that we find.”

According to Morris, the department is 93% finished with the immediate fixes recommended by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Among the major upgrades are changes to the automatic transfer switch and switch gear, along with a return to full summer operating mode. Installation of the final components is expected to be completed within the next several weeks.

Morris also highlighted a wave of new hires brought onto both the executive team and frontline staff. He said the department has added more than 130 years of combined experience and recently held a successful hiring event that helped fully staff operations at the water treatment plant.

New employees have been trained on 54 standard operating procedures, including how to operate filters, calculate dosing and handle emergency power transitions.

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“I do believe that we're prepared to respond in the event something happens,” Morris said. “It will be quicker, with open and timely communications, and we’ll make sure the public is notified as soon as possible.”

Morris added that the department has revised its communication protocols to ensure clearer interaction with the public during any future emergencies.