When will Richmonders get answers from the city’s water crisis investigation?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The city of Richmond recently chose the firm that will look into its widespread water crisis. But when will residents hear about its findings? Citizens of Richmond and multiple surrounding counties had little to no water from Jan. 6 to 11, following a malfunction at the city's water treatment facility. In the weeks that followed this crisis, questions have been raised about how this could have happened, including what actions -- if any -- the city could have taken to prevent it. On Jan. 22, Richmond officials announced that infrastructure development firm HNTB Corporation had been tasked with getting those answers through a $234,000 contract. That contract, obtained by 8News, HNTB provided a proposed timeline of 60 days. It also outlined the steps investigators intend to take. ALL COVERAGE: Richmond Area Water Crisis A spokesperson for the city told 8News that HNTB should begin its investigation the week of Monday, Jan. 27. In that case, given the 60-day proposed timeline, the investigation should be complete no later than April 1. Regarding the investigation itself, it shall be carried out in 6 major steps: Initial Incident Overview: An initial look into what led to the water treatment plant's failure. This will include interviews with plant staff, city leadership and more. At the end of this phase, HNTB would like to fully understand the series of events that preceded the failure and how it impacted the community. Objectives of Assessment: A compilation of "common concerns/items" that may have led to the plant's failure, as identified through the overview phase. At the end of this phase, HNTB would like to have pinpointed the cause or causes of the failure. Root Cause Analysis: A "more granular" look at what led to the failure, including examinations of the entire water treatment process, daily plant operations and steps taken for storm preparation. At the end of this phase, HNTB would like to have a detailed breakdown of the failure and all factors that played into it. Technical Impact Analysis: A breakdown of what the failure did to the plant itself. At the end of this phase, HNTB would like to know how water treatment was disrupted and how equipment was damaged. It would also like to understand the effectiveness of all power standby systems. Communications: An assessment of the effectiveness of the city's communications throughout the crisis, both to the public and to stakeholders. Recommendations: A list compiling preliminary recommendations on what the city should do to prevent another similar crisis from happening again. At the end of this phase, HNTB would like to have a list of preliminary recommendations including immediate actions, changes to standards of practices, crisis planning improvements and more. Conclusion: A final report on the water crisis, including a summary of the event, key lessons and what can be done to improve the city's water system. Some of these steps will be worked on simultaneously, according to the contract. As this investigation is carried out, HNTB intends to have five meetings with the city, with three being in person and two being virtual. According to the contract, two major meetings will take place at about day 11 and day 21: a presentation of preliminary findings and a presentation of preliminary recommendations, respectively. 8News asked the city spokesperson if the public should expect any updates during this process, or if information will come out once the investigation is fully complete. PREVIOUS: Businesses still struggling as city of Richmond announces ‘Water Recovery Week’ "The City will definitely update the public as we move through the after-action process," the spokesperson said. "What [details are] released to the public and when will depend on several factors — especially since there are important homeland security considerations when it comes to the water treatment plant." In the meantime, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is also launching its own investigation into the water crisis, also through a third-party firm. It made this decision after it found two alleged violations of state waterworks regulations at Richmond's water treatment plant.