As of Jan. 11, the boil advisories in Greater Richmond have been lifted. Click here for an explainer on flushing your pipes after a boil advisory.
Thursday: City press conference, water levels and distribution
8:53 a.m.: A city spokesperson sent an 8:51 a.m. email to change the time of Thursday's press conference.
"Hey, back with another update on press conference time for today. We're pushing back to 12:00 p.m. so that we have a little more time to get the most up to date information for y'all. I'm so sorry for all the back and forth!"
8:29 a.m.: The city's reporting water levels hitting 17 feet in eight zones with the target still being 10 feet in nine zones.
7:38 a.m.: The city posted on socials that "The reservoir is almost at full capacity, Richmond!"
Water levels reached 12 feet for four zones; to begin water testing, nine zones must reach 10 feet.
7:08 am: On Wednesday, the city set a 10 a.m. Thursday press conference at the main library branch to update the public on its ongoing water problems. An early Thursday email from a city spokesperson changed the time to 9:30 a.m. "to accommodate President Carter's funeral."
—The Community Foundation is seeking volunteers to assist with the distribution of bottled water. Information about times and how to register were posted to CF's social media.
Avula's Wednesday afternoon water update
Mayor Danny Avula gave an update on the city’s water system failure at the Main Branch of the Richmond public Library on Wednesday afternoon.
Avula said more progress has been made during the day with 5 pumps and 15 filters now operational. The water plant is producing 69 million gallons a day, exceeding the 45 million gallons used on an average winter day in Richmond.
However, the boil water advisory is still in effect, and the reservoir’s water remains at about 7 feet — the same as Wednesday morning. That’s likely due to usage: As Richmonders started to see water pressure returning, usage also increased.
“I do expect as we head into tonight, consumption will drop down, reservoir levels will rise up,” Avula said.
The mayor urged Richmonders to moderate their water usage. Once the water level in the reservoir is able to stay above 10 feet, water quality tests can begin to ensure the system isn’t contaminated; that process takes at least 16 hours and is necessary to lift the boil water advisory.
Department of Public Utilities employees had primed and cleared pump stations in the city’s Northside and East End as of the 4 p.m. press conference.
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras also gave an update: The school system will be closed for the remainder of the week with the goal of reopening Monday.
“I don't make this decision lightly, I hate closing school,” Kamras said.
Asked whether the school system would consider opening virtually next week, Kamras said no.
“We're coming back on Monday,” Kamras continued. “I feel confident that the forecasts indicate that the snow event on Saturday won't be sufficient to cause any issues with Monday, and I am deeply committed to reopening on Monday morning.”
Kamras said no determinations had been made regarding calendar adjustments, and that prepared meal distribution locations for Thursday will be announced in the morning.
A Tuesday evening press release from the City of Richmond indefinitely pushes back the timeline for potable water to again be available to residents.
After reassuring public statements Tuesday morning and afternoon, when officials indicated a city reservoir was refilling, an electrical panel at the water plant failed.
The statement said “the event would extend the restoration process timeline.”
A city spokesperson declined to address the veracity of an email obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, indicating that potable water wouldn’t be available to residents until Thursday.
“While we are disappointed to learn that the Tuesday afternoon panel failure has slowed our progress, service teams remain on duty round-the-clock to re-pressurize the water system and restore water distribution throughout the City,” Avula, who was sworn into office on Dec. 31, said in the press release. “We are pulling in additional resources and experts to help solve the problem as we work towards returning water service to full functionality.”
Read more: What’s going on in Greater Richmond after Winter Storm Blair?
Keep up with the latest Richmond news
In a noon Tuesday post on Instagram, the city of Richmond said it distributed about 37,000 liters of water, though other digital posts indicated either a lack of volunteers to distribute the bottles or caches of water being depleted.
At about 1 p.m., the city’s utility department sent a press release saying it had restored “water production.”
Rhonda Johnson, a spokesperson for the city’s public works department, differentiated between that and Richmond Mayor Danny Avula saying earlier that two pumps had begun operating.
“Water production means we have successfully been able to pump and retain water in our internal system through the pumping operation,” she wrote around 1:30 p.m. “This is a big step, in that it allows us to move water to the portion of the plant where distribution begins to take place.”
The General Assembly session beginning Wednesday has made Richmond’s water issues a state problem.
In a statement sent to VPM News, Christian Martinez — Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s press secretary — said the state’s health and emergency management departments have “coordinated” with the city.
“Our teams also worked overnight to supply area hospitals with tanker trucks of water and delivered nearly 70 pallets of water to the city with an additional 350 pallets en route for distribution,” Martinez wrote. “State office buildings in Richmond and Hanover were closed today because of this issue. Governor Youngkin will continue to monitor this issue and provide support to the City of Richmond.”
Richmonders likely will need to continue boiling water for another day. But at about midnight Tuesday, two pumps at one of the city’s water facilities began working again, and water pressure should be restored later today.
Mayor Danny Avula, who was flanked by city officials during an 8 a.m. Tuesday press conference at the city’s main library, said one of the tanks was currently filling with water, but the boil advisory was “absolutely” still in effect.
The mayor urged residents to conserve water and called the series of events that led to the situation “hard to avoid.”
A portion of the system’s equipment near Windsor Farms was “sitting in water,” he said, while describing the power outage and failure of backup generators at the facility. The mayor said he spent the night at the water facility with about 20 others, who worked on IT systems and addressing the waterlogged equipment.
Rhonda Johnson, a spokesperson for the city’s public works department, wasn’t yet able to determine what equipment — if any — had been permanently damaged.
“It's a lot to run a water plant — not only the equipment, but also the maintenance and electricity to actually run that,” she said after the press conference. “When you get water all in those systems, a lot of things are gonna be damaged.”
Avula also acknowledged that reopening schools — which largely remain closed across the region due to the winter storm — without water would be difficult. In Richmond, he said, Superintendent Jason Kamras would make that call.
“The schools will ultimately have to make a decision whether the restoration of pressure is enough,” the mayor said, while mentioning the lack of potable water.
Avula also addressed the city flushing its fire hydrants, explaining that the system needed to be cleared of sediment and air pockets before being refilled.
Julian Walker, a Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association spokesperson who was assisting the mayor on Tuesday, told media there’d be additional information later today about shelter schedules and potentially another press conference.
The city is currently offering bottled water to residents at 10 locations between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., as well as 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Bellemeade Community Center, 1800 Lynhaven Ave
- Broad Rock Library, 4820 Old Warwick Rd.
- East End District Initiative, 701 N. 25th St.
- Hickory Hill Community Center, 3000 Belt Blvd.
- Midtown Green, 2401 W. Leigh St.
- Pine Camp Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Rd.
- Randolph Community Center, 1415 Grayland Ave.
- Southside Plaza, 4100 Hull Street Rd.
- West End Library, 5420 Patterson Ave.
- Westover Hills Community Center, 1301 Jahnke Rd.
