Richmond residents will have to go longer without water as another malfunction delays restoration efforts
Jan 07, 2025
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Another malfunction at Richmond's water treatment plant will further delay water service being restored to residents.
The city's reservoir system was disrupted on Monday, Jan. 6, when a power outage caused a malfunction. Residents were put under a boil water advisory as the city began work to resolve these issues and return water service to residents -- some of which have low-pressure water flow, some of which have none at all.
Around midday on Tuesday, Jan. 7, city officials reported that water production at the treatment plant was back online. 8News learned shortly after that there had been a malfunction during this process.
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In a press release sent out Tuesday evening, Richmond officials elaborated on the issue and its consequences, saying that it would "[slow] progress in restoring water service."
"During work on the water restoration process this afternoon, an electric panel at the facility failed," officials said in the release. "On-site engineers moved quickly to address and resolve the issue. Initially, it was thought that this malfunction would not significantly impact the restoration process. However, further analysis and investigation in consultation with regional and statewide experts revealed that the event would extend the restoration process timeline."
Mayor Danny Avula added that additional resources and experts have been brought in to "help solve the problem."
"While this remains a fluid situation involving many variables, significant progress has already been made to get the treatment system operation back up and running and every effort is being made to regain full functionality," the city said.
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Originally, Avula's office said residents should have their water back and the boil water advisory should be lifted by Wednesday. In the minutes after receiving this release, 8News reached out to the city to confirm what the new timeline might be. As of the time of reporting, we have not yet received a response.
These issues in Richmond have impacted both Hanover and Henrico counties.