Richmond’s made progress on over 80% of needed water system improvements
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond has made progress on more than 80% of all recommended changes to its water system in the aftermath of January's widespread water crisis.
The city has been working to make hundreds of improvements to its water system in the wake of a six-day water crisis from Jan. 6 to Jan. 11. Following a malfunction at Richmond's water treatment plant, residents and businesses throughout the region were left with little to no water.
Questions were raised -- and subsequent investigations were launched -- by multiple agencies, all wanting to know how such a crisis event could have happened. Richmond also launched its own investigations, conducted by third-party consulting firms.
Outdated infrastructure, poor management practices and an overall lack of standard operating procedures were just some of the concerns these agencies pointed to as causes for the water crisis. The troubling -- and, at the time, largely unaddressed -- findings of a 2022 inspection performed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were also uncovered.
“Specifically, the failure at the Richmond plant was not the result of a ‘day of’ disaster, but rather, the result of years’ long neglect,” said the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) in a letter to Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Richmond Mayor Danny Avula, attached to one of its reports on the matter.
A variety of recommendations on how to fix Richmond's water system were made within these investigative reports.
In late June, the city entered into an agreement with the VDH -- called an Order of Consent, or "consent order" -- to improve its water system as outlined by the state agency.
Scott Morris, the director of the city's Department of Utilities (DPU), said that about 82% of the total 230 recommendations have been implemented as of Monday, July 7.
The city has also given the VDH a list of 52 current and updated standard operating procedures (SOPs), as required by the consent order.
Per Morris, as part of the consent order, the city is required to provide the VDH with a "comprehensive list of all recommendations" within 120 days, as well as the following items:
- The city's current Capital Improvement Plan
- Updated organizational charts
- A "Water Asset Management Plan (AMP)," or "equivalent documents"
- An approved budget
- The output from its most recent rate model run
- A list of active contracts for water-related services
As the effective date of the order is June 28, these items should be due by late October. Morris said the DPU is "on-track" to deliver on time.
A final report will also be submitted to the VDH "upon completion of all items."
MORE WATER ISSUES: Over 40,000 Richmond water meters at, past expected lifetimes
Morris previously detailed the 10-year plan the city has laid out to revamp its water system, summarized as follows:
- Phase 1: “Foundation Building,” to be completed in 2025
- Critical infrastructural upgrades
- High-priority VDH compliance items, including those in the Order of Consent
- Comprehensive system assessments
- Robust preventative maintenance program
- Phases 2 and 3: “Core System Modernization,” to be completed in 2026 and 2027
- Replace SCADA as a phased implementation
- Upgrade primary water treatment equipment
- Build redundant power systems
- Replace critical aging water distribution mains
- Phases 4 and 5: “Resilience and Optimization,” to be completed in 2028 and 2029
- Complete automation of backup systems
- Full redundancy for critical components
- Advance water quality monitoring
- Major water distribution system improvements
- Phases 6 through 10: “Long-Term Sustainability,” to be completed between 2030 and 2034
- Any remaining infrastructure needs
- Smart water technology
- Industry-leading reliable metrics
- Fully-modernized systems
For all of 8News' coverage on the Richmond water crisis, click here.
