Two river spills renew concerns about Virginia’s aging water infrastructure

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- After two river spills swept through parts of the Commonwealth -- including a recent jet fuel spill release into the James River -- experts are renewing fresh concerns about aging and vulnerable water infrastructure threatening the state.

Richmonders are often cautioned to avoid swimming in the James River following bouts of rainfall due to high bacteria levels, according to Paul A. Bukaveckas, a professor of environmental sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Those high levels impact many infrastructure failures, leading to collapsing sewer lines and equipment breakdowns that can impact the Commonwealth's waterways.

"It's a statewide problem that we have high bacterial levels," Bukaveckas said. "Here in Richmond, I think people know that well, after it rains, you're not supposed to swim in the James River because of high bacterial levels."

A major sewage line along the Potomac River collapsed in January, becoming the largest wastewater spill in U.S. history, releasing over 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the river, with more spills continuing into February, per the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

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Less than a month later, nearly 7,800 gallons of jet fuel accidentally spilled into the James River in mid-February at Newport News Shipbuilding -- several months after a different sewage spill in the city of Hopewell area.

VDH and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) shared that there is no evidence of any impacts to drinking water sources or shellfish growing areas as of this week, but experts emphasized concerns regarding aging infrastructure, environmental monitoring and whether Virginians are prepared to tackle any future large-scale water contamination events.

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The health, environmental impact

Samantha Puckett, who serves as a co-chair for the Virginia Water Monitoring Council, said sewage monitoring focuses on E. coli, staph, MRSA and other pathogens that pose direct human‑health risks and ultimately make cleanup extremely difficult.

On the flip side, fuel spill monitoring is more immediately harmful to aquatic life. Virginians could see diminishing wildlife populations, which, if there are any lingering effects, could move toward the Central Virginia region.

MORE: Thousands of gallons of fuel spill into James River in Newport News

"The main issue with sewage spills is that you're releasing harmful bacteria into the environment," Bukaveckas said. "When you look more broadly, a lot across the Commonwealth, bacterial pollution is actually probably the biggest cause of impairment of water bodies across the entire state."

Bukaveckas said issues like pet waste washing into creeks, livestock entering streams and smaller routine sewage overflows typically impact rivers statewide, including the James River.

He said bacterial contamination is a statewide concern, even when a spill isn't in one's backyard.

Near the Potomac River are localities like Tappahannock and Northumberland, with Morgan Wilson, the executive assistant of the Northumberland County administrator, saying, "The county is currently monitoring the situation."

Could downstream spills affect Richmond?

Some residents have posed concerns about whether a spill in Newport News could impact communities more upstream, including the city of Richmond. Puckett pointed to the fact that "everything is connected."

She said a spill in Newport News would not travel backward into upstream parts of the James, though she said any potential tidal movement can pose ecological risks, affecting wildlife populations, shorebirds and local ecosystems in that region, Puckett said.

"In theory, a small amount of ocean water is actually making its way all the way up to Hopewell, and in theory, all the way up to Richmond," she said. "So a spill that happens way downstream of us, a very small part of that could migrate upward on a tide, but it's going to be a very, very tiny amount."

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The James River Association provided the following statement to 8News:

"While we’re still monitoring updates and learning more about the cause and environmental impacts of the recent fuel spill, we share concerns raised by others about the risks the spill poses to river health and wildlife. Incidents like this serve as an important reminder that we cannot become complacent about pollution in the James River. Protecting the river requires strong prevention measures, sustained investment, and consistent policy enforcement to reduce the risk of future incidents."

What do spills mean for infrastructure?

Puckett and Bukaveckas both emphasized that the recent river spills emphasize a need for investment in water infrastructure. Specifically, Puckett highlighted the importance of more federal and state funding for maintenance and modernization of water infrastructure.

"We just want to make sure that it's being prioritized moving forward and not just left to degrade until something catastrophic happens," she said. "I feel [that] so much of the environmental work that has been done in the past has been reactionary to a catastrophic event."

She emphasized that what she and other advocates want to see is "a shift toward preventing these catastrophic events, rather than responding to them and then focusing on cleanup efforts."

Experts also pointed to problems similar to massive discharges into rivers, such as decades-old sewer systems, treatment plants and industrial facilities that are growing strained by age, heavy rainfall and demand.

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Bukaveckas said large spills often emphasize long-standing infrastructure weaknesses, particularly during heavy rain events when stormwater overwhelms wastewater systems.

While Bukaveckas didn't point to an uptick in concern, he said long-term ecological effects of large-scale spills can be hard to keep up with.

"The problem is, is that when you combine all that rainwater runoff with the normal wastewater, sewage, and you're sending that to the water treatment plant, you exceed the capacity of the system to clean that water," he said. "And so then these pipes, the pipe infrastructure as a built-in mechanism for an overflow to happen."

He added that maintaining those systems requires consistent, long-term investment.

“It’s the kind of thing that requires long-term care -- doing a little bit every year to keep up with maintenance,” Bukaveckas said.