WATCH: Richmond, Henrico leaders discuss water crisis, debate best path forward
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Discussion became tense among Richmond and Henrico County officials as they attempted to chart a course towards a more resilient regional water system in the wake of January's widespread water crisis.
At 3:30 p.m. on Monday, June 30, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula and multiple other city leaders -- including Richmond City Council -- met with Henrico's Board of Supervisors and its county manager to talk about forming a regional water advisory group.
Why did this meeting happen?
A six-day water crisis in January sent shockwaves through a large portion of the Richmond metropolitan area. As Richmond's water system is connected to those of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties, many in the region were left with little to no water for six days.
It was later revealed that a major contributing factor to the water crisis was poor communication on Richmond’s part, with county leaders saying they were left in the dark.
On Friday, June 20, Avula said he had invited neighboring leaders to form a regional water advisory group so they could “explore a path forward to ensure a strong and sustainable water infrastructure for all.”
Henrico officials accepted the invitation, leading to Monday's meeting. They and Hanover officials previously met to discuss the future of the regional water system shortly before Avula's announcement.
Meeting opens with Avula celebrating collaboration
Avula opened the meeting by thanking county officials for joining him for this important discussion, saying he has previously seen the "mutual benefit of regional collaboration."
"I'm really excited that this crisis has brought us to a place where we can begin the conversation of better supporting our residents and our businesses across the region," he said.
He said he believed the need to collaboratively plan a path forward was urgent for several reasons.
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"We have a unique opportunity not just to address this issue for our residents, but also to move forward with sensible, cooperative strategies," Avula said. "And the faster that we can move to at least define some of the major options, the better opportunity that we have to get some state support in this upcoming budget."
Avula then turned the meeting over to the Richmond City Council and the Henrico Board of Supervisors. Both echoed Avula's sentiments, thanking him for this opportunity and saying they were happy to come together to discuss the future.
"We truly and sincerely want to thank everyone for making this a priority," said Roscoe D. Cooper, III, vice chair of the Henrico Board of Supervisors.
He continued by saying that joint meetings like this are "extraordinarily rare," but Henrico has attended two in just a few weeks.
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"Our presence then and here again today shows a whole lot," Cooper said. "It shows that we are committed, just as you are, to addressing the important and imperative, complex issues before us. By working together as partners, we can create a more resilient, redundant and modern public water system that will serve our residents, business [and] community for decades to come."
Cooper said he was very optimistic about the future due to how healthy Henrico's collaborative relationship already is with Richmond.
"All of this is to say -- we can do this," he said. "We can do this by working together, by listening to experts and engaging with our residents and communities. Thank you again and please know that our board and our staff are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work."
City DPU director speaks on what's been done, what's next
Scott Morris, the director of Richmond's Department of Utilities (DPU), was called to speak next.
He proceeded to outline the history of Richmond's water treatment plant, which he said serves Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties -- meaning it therefore provides water, indirectly, to the town of Ashland as well as Goochland and Powhatan counties.
Morris then detailed the variety of changes and updates that have been or are in the process of being made in the wake of the water crisis. This includes adjustments recommended within multiple third-party investigations, as well as changes requested by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
Morris discussed the 10-year plan the city launched on how it intends to improve its water system, which the city previously 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
Richmond has recently reestablished its regional cooperation with other DPUs, according to Morris.
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This means there will now be additional, routine meetings between regional DPUs and related staff on various topics, including emergency preparedness.
While previous Richmond DPU directors did hold such meetings, Morris said they have increased in frequency.
Henrico DPU director explains county's current situation
Henrico DPU director Bentley Chan spoke after Morris, sharing similar information on the county's water system and how it has recovered post-water crisis.
Chan said that, post-water crisis, it became clear that communication, emergency preparedness and training were areas of concern. Progress has been made both internally and collaboratively with Richmond on these fronts, he said.
Over the next ten years, Henrico hopes to make significant improvements to its own water system, with dozens of projects planned, including a water treatment facility expansion.
Chan said these capital improvements will be largely funded by a 5% increase in water and sewer rates.
County, city officials question Morris and Chan
The floor was then opened up to the board and the city council to ask questions.
Henrico wants better timeline, reassurance from Morris
Misty Roundtree with the Henrico Board of Supervisors asked Morris about the timeline of improvements in Richmond, wondering if enough changes had already been made to prevent future crisis events.
Morris said that all "primary concerns" at the water treatment plant related to January's water crisis had been addressed.
"[So] you guys don't feel that there's a risk of failure at the water treatment plant at this time?" Roundtree asked.
Morris answered by saying that you "can never eliminate all risk."
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"You can probably ask Director Chan over there about his water treatment plant and I can vehemently attest [that] he'll say that there is not 100% protection [at] his facility for no interruption of service," he said.
Morris added that Richmond DPU's 10-year plan is one about "looking at our conditions and where we can further enhance that resiliency and then build in that additional resiliency."
Both Roundtree and board member Jody Rogish asked Morris about funding. He explained that exact numbers on costs beyond the critical are still pending, but added that Richmond City Council has been supportive regarding DPU's potential cost needs regarding plant improvements.
City council questions Chan about data centers, communication
City councilwoman Kenya Gibson shared multiple concerns she had about water in the region. Among those was data centers in Virginia and the amount of water they use.
Virginia is the data center capital of the world and Gibson said she worried that residents would shoulder the costs of the water that those large facilities use.
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Gibson also touched on VDH's report on the May boil water advisory, which noted that, despite being asked to reduce its intake of Richmond's water during that period, Henrico's demand increased -- exacerbating the incident. The VDH described this as a "misunderstanding."
She asked Chan to explain his understanding of what happened. He said that he'd been able to confirm that the county did increase its flows.
"As best as we can tell, it looks to be a miscommunication between our respective staffs on what exactly needed to be done in both systems," Chan said.
City councilwoman Sarah Abubaker asked Chan about data center water usage. He said that numbers on data centers, specifically, were not available -- but he emphasized that the DPU works closely with county leaders to ensure areas zoned as residential get the water they need.
Abubaker asked if Henrico data center development could impact Richmond's water. Chan said that Henrico's current contract with the city -- which will remain in place until 2040 -- only allows for 35 million gallons to be taken from Richmond per day, which it currently takes.
Leaders disagree on the future of regional cooperation
Avula then returned to the podium to bring his initial suggestion back into focus: the establishment of a regional water advisory group, which he hopes could lead the way to a better regional water system.
City council president Cynthia Newbille said that the council did not plan to make any decisions during Monday's meeting.
It will instead further discuss the possibility of such a regional water advisory group -- as well as any other moves it would like to make regarding regional cooperation -- at a future meeting in early July.
City council questions need for advisory group, stressing all is well
City councilwoman Nicole Jones asked Avula to elaborate on why he felt a regional water advisory group was the best path forward.
In answer, Avula emphasized that he was happy to hear alternative ideas. However, he said he felt such a group would be the easiest way to ensure regular, effective and focused regional cooperation.
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"My interest is making sure that we have a safe, resilient [and] redundant water source for the whole region -- and that we're protecting the ratepayers in the process," Avula said. "And the more collective investment goes into that [and] the more state investment goes into that -- I think that's our best shot of being able to do both of those things effectively."
Some city councilmembers expressed that they weren't sure a water regional advisory group was necessary, believing there are other options given the strong connection between Henrico and Richmond at this time.
City councilwoman Ellen Robertson said that Henrico should not be concerned that Richmond cannot fulfill its contractual obligations to the county regarding water.
"We do not feel that there is reason for us to be concerned that we cannot," Robertston said. We are not hopping along, scared that we're gonna break down every day. That is not the condition that this plant is in."
Henrico board pushes back, emphasizing countywide concerns
Supervisor Rogish said that residents' own worries after several water-related issues needed to be taken into consideration.
"We're here -- I'm here, because our constituents are nervous," Rogish said. "I appreciate what was just said, but there were a few failures in the last six months, and we want to respond to them and say, 'What can we do for them?'"
It's because of these nerves that he supports a regional water advisory group, Rogish said.
"If we're not there yet on the advisory group, that's fine," Rogish said. "But I just know that, if there's something else we can do from Henrico's side, to help? I wanna be responding to my constituents."
'We don't want to worry about the water treatment plant, that's why we're here'
Board of Supervisors chair Tyrone Nelson then spoke, expressing his disappointment with the city council's perspective.
"I wrote myself a note [while others were speaking] and said, 'What's happening here?' I don't really know why I'm here now," he said.
Addressing Roberton's comments, Nelson said that the first time he'd heard in recent history that Richmond's water treatment plant was functioning appropriately was "today."
"You say, flat-footed, that we shouldn't worry about the water treatment plant anymore -- that's good! We don't want to worry about the water treatment plant, that's why we're here," he said. "We're here because we wanna make sure that we don't have to go without water again."
Nelson said that, if the roles were reversed, the city would be asking the same questions of Henrico. All Henrico wants to do is help, he said.
"Now, I'm hearing Councilwoman Robertson saying, 'We really don't need your assistance' ... I know you didn't say that, but that's the way it felt," Nelson said. "And that's fine. If you're good, great. We're not trying to impose anything -- we're really coming as neighbors."
However, Nelson emphasized that Henrico officials have a duty to serve their residents, who need Richmond's water.
"Our people, respectfully -- respectfully, y'all don't represent them," he said. "We do."
Residents don't care about the logistics, they just want water: Roundtree
Roundtree spoke afterwards, saying she understood coming into this that a decision would likely not be made during Monday's meeting. However, she and the rest of the board needed to look Richmond officials in the face and speak the concerns shared by their constituents.
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"Candidly, I don't think our residents really care whether it's this collaborative effort or [something else,]" she said. "Laypeople -- me included, before all of this crash course -- have very little understanding of how all of this works. All people wanna know is, 'When I turn on my spigot, is water gonna come out?'"
Roundtree said she wants to lean into the idea of collaborating heavily with Richmond. However, she said she was disheartened by the fact that Gibson brought up data centers amid this conversation, as she believes data center water needs are completely separate from the resident-focused improvements Henrico is trying to make.
She went on to stress that Henrico staffers are "eager and happy" to put boots on the ground and to collaborate with Richmond on water improvements.
Board vice chair Cooper said he fully agreed with Roundtree and Nelson, adding that he would do anything to ensure the region has reliable access to safe, quality water.
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"I promised my residents -- almost 70,000 of them -- that I will make sure that this will never happen again," Cooper said. "And I'm gonna work diligently with my colleagues to make sure it doesn't happen."
City repeats that it will consider all options
City council president Newbille spoke after Henrico officials ended their comments.
"I want to say, unequivocally, that city council is committed to the same level of service that everyone should expect: extraordinary, strong, sustainable service. Period, end of paragraph, without a doubt," she said. "And we are committed to making sure that that happens for Richmonders as well as our partners in this effort -- bar none."
She emphasized that this was not a "minor matter" for Richmond. However, she remained firm on how the city council would explore all options.
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"We are committed to this and committed to working collaboratively, as has been demonstrated in other scenarios," Newbille said. "We are also committed to making sure we do due diligence in terms of ascertaining what that will look like -- whether that's staffing, whether that's [an] advisory [board] ... it can take a number of forms."
Richmond City Council will meet to discuss these matters on July 7.
