On Monday, Jan. 6, a winter weather-related power outage impacted operations at the City of Richmond’s water plant along the James River. As a result, the City of Richmond, Henrico County, Goochland County, and parts of Hanover County were put under a Boil Water Advisory. As January 11, the City of Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Goochland and Hanover have lifted their Boil Water Advisories.
This page provides information on the Virginia Department of Health's (VHD) response and investigation.
Update:
On April 3, Richmond released its After Action Assessment Report.
VDH is conducting an ongoing investigation and expects its investigation to conclude by early April with a final analysis and conclusions by the end of that month.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the morning hours of Monday, Jan. 6, a winter weather-related power outage impacted operations at the City of Richmond’s water plant along the James River.
Under normal circumstances, the drinking water treatment process begins by withdrawing water from the James River. The water is then pumped into the water plant, where it goes through several stages of treatment to remove bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other contaminants of concern. After the final treatment, safe and clean water travels to homes and businesses from the water treatment plant through storage reservoirs, elevated storage tanks, and hundreds of miles of distribution piping.
Monday’s power disruption caused water to flood an area of the plant where pumps and electrical cabinets were located. Water production stopped because the water treatment plant’s “Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System” (SCADA system) went offline. The SCADA system consists of hardware and software to monitor and adjust plant processes. Best information suggests that the flooding – to a critical operational area of the water treatment plant – happened when the SCADA system went offline. Without the SCADA system working properly, pumps and valves had to be manually operated. Additionally, pumps at the plant stopped working and needed repairs from the flooding. Electricians, pump mechanics, and a contractor for the SCADA system worked to bring these critical needs back online. The City of Richmond has brought in many resources and experts to complete repairs as quickly as possible.
On Tuesday, January 7, the SCADA system glitched a second time causing additional delays in water production. The Richmond City Department of Utilities (DPU) had additional pumps delivered and installed to replace failed pumps that needed repair. Troubleshooting, repairs, and other work continue to bring the water treatment plant back to normal operation.
A Notice of Alleged Violation (NOAV) is a formal notification issued by VDH pursuant to Virginia Waterworks Regulations. A NOAV summarizes any alleged violations to the law or regulations, the facts about an incident, initial findings, and the expectations for correction.
Upon receipt of the NOAV, the recipient has 30 days to respond and provide requested information as outlined in the NOAV.
Pursuant to the Virginia Waterworks Regulations, the recipient may request an informal fact-finding proceeding (IFFP) if the recipient disagrees with the allegations in this initial notice or wishes to obtain a determination as to whether a violation has occurred. The recipient has 15 business days upon receipt of the initial notice to inform VDH if it wishes to request an IFFP.
Failure to take all the necessary corrective actions in a timely manner to voluntarily return the situation to compliance may result in enforcement action.
Yes, VDH is conducting an ongoing investigation and expects ODW’s investigation to conclude by early April with a final analysis and conclusions by the end of that month.
On January 23, VDH’s ODW issued an Initial Notice of Alleged Violation (NOAV) to the City of Richmond pursuant to Code of Virginia §12VAC5-590-110.
On February 21, Richmond DPU responded to the Initial NOAV.
On March 11, ODW issues a letter to DPU and the Richmond mayor regarding Richmond's NOAV Response.
Four Henrico DPU staff were onsite helping at the water treatment plant, including two electricians. An engineer from Whitman Requardt and Associates was onsite providing technical assistance. The Hanover utilities director and the Chesterfield DPU director visited the water treatment plant and assessed operations. The VDH’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), and the Office of Drinking Water (ODW) assisted water distribution via water tanker trucks for rapid deployment to healthcare facilities as needed. VDH’s ODW had engineers and other staff monitoring 24/7 at the water treatment plant to help with regulatory questions, needs, and technical support.
ODW had engineers and other technical specialists at the water treatment plant 24 hours per day to ensure that the City of Richmond returned to compliance with applicable regulations that protect public health and drinking water as quickly as possible. ODW provided inspections, funding, compliance, and regulatory oversight of drinking water systems in Virginia. ODW also provided advice and technical support to help resolve ongoing issues while evaluating the causes of the event and ensure regulatory compliance. VDH will ensure that an after-action review, timeline of events, learning lessons, compliance review, and other assessments are completed.
ODW performed numerous inspections from January 6 through January 11. ODW has been at the water treatment plant routinely since then. Before the water crisis, ODW’s engineering team completed an initial inspection on September 19, 2024 for a series of planned inspections. ODW is investigating the cause of the water crisis and expects to issue a report by the end of April, 2025. Inspections occur over time because of the size and complexity of the water system. The last complete inspection of the facility happened in 2022 where the US EPA led an inspection of the facility with support from ODW.