‘Unprecedented’: Richmond shouldn’t be having so many water issues, VDH says
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Despite city leaders previously saying the opposite, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) said Richmond should not be experiencing so many issues with its water system in such a short period.
On Monday, June 16, the VDH's Office of Drinking Water (ODW) hit Richmond with a Notice of Alleged Violation (NOAV) in connection with a late May boil water advisory. Said boil water advisory came after filters at the water treatment plant clogged with “excessive sediment." City leaders later explained that those filters hadn't been cleaned properly in months.
State officials also noted a "misunderstanding" between the city of Richmond and Henrico County may have contributed to this event.
Within that NOAV, the VDH accused Richmond of violating three of Virginia's Waterworks Regulations, as laid out within its Public Water Supplies Law.
This is the third such notice issued -- and the third water-related crisis event that Richmond has faced -- this year. The first notice was issued after January’s widespread water crisis, while another was issued in April after a pump installation failure caused a fluoride spike within Richmond’s water system.
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During a press conference on Thursday, May 29, a member of the media asked city leaders if repeated water-related issues like these were normal.
Scott Morris, director of the city's Department of Public Utilities (DPU), answered by saying it was “not atypical." He added that “a plethora of items” can go wrong at any given time, especially during a “building period” like the city is experiencing.
However, within Monday's NOAV, the VDH asserted the exact opposite.
"The NOAVs represent unprecedented and very concerning situations for a waterworks this size and service area," the VDH said. "These events erode public trust in the City’s ability to comply with applicable regulations that protect public health."
Within the NOAV, the VDH stated that the boil water advisory was "completely avoidable, just like the water crisis in January 2025 and the fluoride overfeed incident." In this case, it could have been avoided if DPU had cleaned the impacted filters in a timely manner.
It further supported these claims by comparing Richmond's experience with two other water treatment plants that also source water from the James River.
Following heavy rainfall in early May, water treatment plants that draw from the James River noticed a drop in raw water quality. It's this "high turbidity" that Richmond initially credited for the filters becoming clogged.
Despite all plants having similar experiences with water quality, only Richmond had to issue a boil water advisory due to a loss of water production.
Thusly, the VDH said this water-related crisis event was primarily caused by the delay in cleaning the filters at Richmond's plant -- not by high turbidity.
Regarding this "misunderstanding" with Henrico, Richmond "initially thought that Henrico County had reduced flows" to help prevent a possible boil water advisory, according to the VDH. The city "also thought that Henrico County isolated flow" during the boil water advisory.
Henrico previously said it reduced its intake from Richmond's water system after the city contacted them around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 27. It added that it disconnected from Richmond's water system at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
"However, upon review, data shows an increase in flows for Henrico County during the most vulnerable period of time," the VDH said. "This misunderstanding might have prevented the need for a [boil water advisory], according to the City of Richmond."
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Monday's NOAV also included two corrective actions that the VDH said the city of Richmond must take to comply with Virginia law. These include:
- Additional training for DPU staff at the water treatment plant, particularly on monitoring and testing chemical feeds during high turbidity events
- Finding a coagulation expert, as well as an appropriate engineering firm, to evaluate the water treatment plant for coagulation, settling and filtration.
The VDH added that Richmond has already hired an engineering firm "to evaluate and make recommendations on best operational practices to address changes in water quality and to maximize finished filter performance." It has also improved its preventative maintenance processes.
On June 12, Richmond said it has already addressed over 150 concerns with its water system. It has also announced a 10-year plan to tackle the many issues that plague its water treatment plant.
The VDH did note that it has "observed improvement" within Richmond's waterworks, but added that "more work is clearly needed."
