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.
Do you have questions or updates? Get in touch with us at [email protected], @vpm.org on Bluesky or u/vpmnews on Reddit.
Central Virginia is still dealing with the aftermath of Winter Storm Blair, which has brought snow, ice and freezing rain to multiple states since last weekend.
School-wise, most school divisions in Greater Richmond remain closed — Chesterfield County will reopen all but one school on Thursday.
Here's where things stand in the Greater Richmond region as of Wednesday into Thursday.
State-level
As previously reported, the General Assembly is in recess until Monday. Gov. Glenn Youngkin's State of the Commonwealth address has also been rescheduled to next week.
Regional Transit
As of Fri. night, Staples Mill Road has been reopened in both directions.
A water main break occurred Thursday night at the intersection of Staples Mill Road and Thalbro Street in the Willow Lawn area of Henrico County.
As of Friday morning, both directions of Staples Mill Road are closed to drivers as crews work to fix the break.
Henrico officials have asked drivers to find alternate routes due to projected impacts on the morning commute, and have set up detours for drivers who need to get from West Broad Street to Staples Mill Road or vice versa:
VPM News has reached out to the Greater Richmond Transit Company to see what impacts, if any, this will have on transit routes.
City of Richmond
Still operating under a boil water advisory.
The City of Richmond announced shortly after 3 p.m. Friday that the first test of the water supply necessary to lift the boil advisory that has been in place since Monday afternoon had come back negative for bacterial growth.
The first collection took place Thursday afternoon after the water system returned to full pressure. Virginia Department of Health protocols require collection of two rounds of samples, taken from multiple points across the distribution network at least 16 hours apart. Bacteriological testing on each set of samples takes 24 hours.
“Once you get to that 24-hour mark, if there's no bacterial growth, that's deemed confirmed as a negative test and that water is safe for consumption,” Mayor Danny Avula said in a Friday morning press conference.
The second test began around 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, according to the city's update — meaning Richmond could be on track to declare water safe for consumption early Saturday afternoon if that test also comes back clean.
The city also said it's taking steps to prepare for potential additional snowfall this weekend from Winter Storm Cora — including additional weekend hours for support staff at the water treatment plant, new battery backups for the plant's computer systems and hourly status check-ins.
Click here to read more about Avula's Friday morning press conference.
A key question has been floating around while the city worked to restore water access to its more than 220,000 residents: What happens to everyone’s January water bill from the Department of Public Utilities?
Avula gave that answer in his first press update on Thursday: "We are going to postpone payments and fines. Is that right? And I don't have all the details. We will put that out on our website and on our social media shortly, but we made that decision yesterday as a city, so we'll — more to come on that."
MapRVA, a group of local mapping enthusiasts, conducted a survey to assess "where and when the water crisis affected Richmonders." They used the more than 1,600 responses received as of 5:30 p.m. Thursday to create an interactive map:
Water
The city has set up 13 sites to distribute drinkable water to residents from 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday (or until supplies run out), with bottled water and/or tanks that people can use to fill their own containers:
- Anne Hardy Plaza, 3300 1st Ave. (tank only)
- Annie Giles Community Center, 1400 Oliver Hill Way (bottled only)
- Bellemeade Community Center, 1800 Lynhaven Ave. (bottled and tank)
- Broad Rock Library, 4820 Old Warwick Road (bottled only)
- East End District Initiative, 701 N. 25th St. (bottled only)
- Hickory Hill Community Center, 3000 Belt Blvd. (bottled and tank)
- Midtown Green, 2401 W. Leigh St. (bottled and tank)
- Pine Camp Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Road (bottled and tank)
- Powhatan Community Center, 5051 Northampton St. (bottled and tank)
- Randolph Community Center, 1415 Grayland Ave. (bottled only)
- Southside Plaza, 4100 Hull Street Road (bottled and tank)
- West End Library, 5420 Patterson Ave. (bottled and tank)
- Westover Hills Community Center, 1301 Jahnke Road (bottled and tank)
RVA Community Fridges has also shared other resources where people might obtain water, including multiple Richmond-area breweries and the Wayside Spring.
The city is also offering home water delivery starting at 10:30 a.m. via 311 and the Richmond Police Department to older adults and individuals with mobility challenges. Due to demand, requests made "after 2:30 p.m., your delivery will likely be scheduled for tomorrow."
Richmond's public housing authority posted on Instagram that residents of Creighton, Fairfield, Gilpin, Hillside, Mosby and Whitcomb courts can pick up bottled water at their respective maintenance shops.
Mutual Aid Distribution Richmond is leading a water distribution effort Friday afternoon alongside other mutual aid organizations. They will be distributing bottled water at four locations from 2:30–6:30 p.m., or until supplies run out:
- Meadowbridge Community Market, 3613 Meadowbridge Road (will also have a small filling station for those who bring their own containers)
- Gilpin Community Garden, 1420 St. Peter St.
- Studio Two Three, 109 W. 15th St.
- Circle Thrift, 400 W. Broad St.
Showers/restrooms
The Weinstein Jewish Community Center (5403 Monument Ave.) is opening its facilities to Richmond residents with valid ID for showers. Bring toiletries.
Several regional YMCA locations are offering their facilities to "anyone who would like a shower & a place to connect with others." Guests will need to bring their own towels and toiletries to any of the following locations below:
- Manchester Family YMCA, 7540 Hull Street Road
- Tuckahoe Family YMCA, 9211 Patterson Ave.
- Patrick Henry Family YMCA, 217 Ashcake Road
- John Rolfe Family YMCA, 2244 John Rolfe Pkwy.
- Shady Grove Family YMCA, 11255 Nuckols Road
- Chester Family YMCA, 3011 W. Hundred Road
The city is posting information about additional locations available to Richmonders on its website.
Schools
Richmond Public Schools will remain closed through the end of this week; the school division is working with Feed More to distribute food to all students via sites at Cardinal Elementary and Henry Marsh Elementary.
Read more: Richmond schools closed all week, distributing food to students
Henrico County
Henrico announced at 1:45 p.m. Friday that the county had begun its second round of water testing shortly after 11 a.m. Click here for more information on Henrico's boil advisory, which has been in place since Wednesday afternoon.
VDH officials have asked Henrico residents to boil their water as a precaution before drinking or consumption-related activities.
Note: Henrico residents do not need to boil their water to use for cleaning or showering.
The county released a statement Thursday night saying that the first round of testing had been completed, with the second round set to begin Friday afternoon. If results come back clean, the boil advisory could be lifted as early as Saturday afternoon, said Bentley Chan, Henrico's director of public utilities.
Both bottled water and tank trucks are available at the following locations:
- Eastern Government Center, 3820 Nine Mile Road
- Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave.
Residents will need to bring a container if you wish to fill from the tank truck.
Residents with questions about their water service or pickup locations can call the county’s phone line at 804-501-4275 and press option 2 for more information.
Additionally, several YMCA locations in the area are offering their facilities to "anyone who would like a shower & a place to connect with others." Guests will need to bring their own towels and toiletries to any of the following locations below:
- Manchester Family YMCA, 7540 Hull Street Road
- Tuckahoe Family YMCA, 9211 Patterson Ave.
- Patrick Henry Family YMCA, 217 Ashcake Road
- John Rolfe Family YMCA, 2244 John Rolfe Pkwy.
- Shady Grove Family YMCA, 11255 Nuckols Road
- Chester Family YMCA, 3011 W. Hundred Road
Hanover County
Hanover County said in a press release Friday afternoon that no harmful contaminants had been detected in the first round of water testing — meaning the boil water advisory that has been in place since Tuesday for residents living east of Interstate 95 could be lifted Saturday afternoon, pending the results of a second round of testing.
“We understand that everyone is eager to get back to normal, and we appreciate your continued patience during this process,” said Matt Longshore, Director of Public Utilities. “Our team is working closely with health officials to ensure the water is completely safe, and we will notify the community immediately once the boil water advisory is lifted.”
Hanover is continuing to distribute drinkable water from 12–6 p.m. Friday at three sites:
- Atlee High School, 9414 Atlee Station Road (bottled water)
- Cold Harbor Elementary School, 6740 Cold Harbor Road (bottled water)
- 7189 Stonewall Pkwy. (filling station — bring your own containers)
The Atlee High and Stonewall Parkway sites are also scheduled to operate Saturday from 1–5 p.m., or until the boil advisory is lifted.
There is a number to get additional information AND to report questions and concerns: 804-365-6024. This line will be staffed through 5 p.m.
Authorities have asked residents who have extreme medical needs or are shut-in, to call the number and share their needs.
In Hanover, residents who have private wells are not impacted by the water situation. Residents who are on the Aqua Virginia system should contact Aqua Virginia for updates.
Goochland County
Wednesday evening, Goochland issued a boil water advisory for all Goochland County Public Utility customers on the county's east end. A map of the impacted areas is available in its public alert.
Goochland residents with questions about the water service and the boil water advisory should contact the Goochland Department of Public Utilities at (804) 556-5835.
Read more: FAQ on boil water advisories from the Virginia Department of Health
What about Chesterfield County?
A small number of Chesterfield County residents draw water from the City of Richmond. County officials sent to following email to VPM News.
"Monday evening, Chesterfield Utilities hand delivered notifications to 27 customers near the Chesterfield-Richmond line that receive water directly from the City of Richmond’s water distribution system. This notification informed these customers they should follow the boil water and conservation advisory issued by the city earlier that day. These customers are unable to be supplied by the county’s water distribution system due to geographic constraints and pressure concerns. Notices went to these customers Monday evening and on Tuesday, Chesterfield Utilities provided bottled water for their use. We will continue to support these customers throughout the duration of this event."
In a separate press release, county officials noted that Richmond's water only accounts for about 20% of the locality's overall water.
What does this mean for schools?
Many schools in Central Virginia remained closed Wednesday — and will likely be closed Thursday as well.
In an email sent to Richmond Public Schools families, RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras said that "meals and resources for families are my biggest concern.
"We are working with Feed More to support families with the greatest need," Kamras wrote. "If you are in need of meal assistance, please reach out to [email protected] and we will be in touch."
Read more: Central Virginia school closures for Thursday, Jan. 9
Hospitals: Some operations, clinics open
The capital city’s lack of potable water has snarled operations at area hospitals and health care centers, diverting patients, closing facilities and canceling procedures.
VCU Health is reopening some its facilities downtown, including PET, Interventional Radiology and Radiation Oncology. (Check VCUalert for the complete list.)
The Patient First clinics in Carytown and Mechanicsville are closed due to the ongoing water problems. All other Patient First urgent care centers in Richmond are open.
Read more: Water outages disrupt Richmond-area health care
Where else can you get information?
- City of Richmond
- Henrico County
- Chesterfield County
- Hanover County
- Virginia Department of Transportation
