Richmond’s boil water advisory could be lifted by Thursday if all goes well

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- City officials are hopeful that Richmond's boil water advisory will be lifted by midday Thursday, so long as no further complications arise.

Many parts of Richmond are under a boil water advisory as of Tuesday, May 27, after water filters at the city's water treatment plant were clogged with sentiment, or debris, multiple times. These issues caused water pressure to drop in parts of the system, requiring Richmond to issue its second boil water advisory so far this year -- just about five months after the January water crisis.

Tuesday's initial boil water advisory was issued shortly before 11:30 a.m. and included several neighborhoods in Richmond's Northside. Later Tuesday evening, the city expanded the advisory to include some Southside neighborhoods. To view an interactive map of impacted areas that allows you to search your address, click here.

Impacted residents may have little to no water pressure, with such issues likely fluctuating throughout the day. Any water residents can get from their taps should be boiled before use for most purposes.

MORE: Richmond residents, county leaders share thoughts after another boil water advisory

Mayor Danny Avula held a press conference Tuesday night -- the second one he held that day -- to further update the media on this incident as it develops.

According to Avula, the decision to expand the boil water advisory was made after officials became aware of a loss of water pressure in one of the system's Southside water tanks.

Apart from that, Avula said the city is currently making good progress towards restoring water pressure. Water production continues and the impacted reservoir is filling steadily. It's because of this progress that the first of two necessary water samples was able to be taken.

In order to lift the boil water advisory, two samples taken 16 hours apart need to come back negative for harmful bacteria. These samples also have to develop for 24 hours before they can be cleared.

So long as no further issues crop up, Avula said the boil water advisory could be lifted as early as midday Thursday, May 29.

In the meantime, impacted residents should continue to boil their water. All Richmond residents are being asked to conserve water, which will help the system repressurize faster.

Exactly what caused such high turbidity, or cloudiness, in the water -- and therefore what cause the filters to become clogged -- remains under investigation. City officials said they intend to work with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to better understand why the water coming into the water treatment plant was such poor quality, among other concerns.

The mayor's office also provided an update to concerns about Richmond's emergency alert system, "Richmond ReadyAlerts."

During Tuesday's afternoon press conference, 8News asked Avula about the reports we received from residents, saying they did not get notficiation of the boil water advisory despite being signed up for ReadyAlerts. Avula asked for more specific information on said claims and 8News provided it via email.

According to Avula, he reviewed ReadyAlerts diagnostic data and found that about 3,800 Ready Alerts subscribers received the first boil water advisory alert and about 5,000 received the second one.

Further information will be provided in a later update from the mayor's office, officials said.