It’s been three days since many Richmond, Virginia residents have been having issues with their water, and Mayor Danny Avula has provided a much-needed update on the situation.
“Over the past day, we have made gains in restoring function at the plant. Despite experiencing some setbacks along the way, as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the plant had six filters and one pump in operation, with one more filter coming online late Tuesday,” Avula said in a statement reported by WTVR. “That equipment is putting nine million gallons of water per day into Richmond homes, which is building pressure in the system toward the target of 12 filters and four pumps running to achieve a 50 million gallon per day capacity.”
What Progress Has Been Made?
By early Wednesday, the city reported 42 million gallons of water flowing through 12 filters and three operational pumps. Officials also announced that two bypass pumps would be installed later that day to enhance functionality.
“These pumps will boost pressure to ‘Plant 2’—allowing more filters and pumps to come online,” a city spokesperson said. “With these filters and pumps in operation, water pressure will continue to build in the system.”
How Did the Water Outage Start?
According to The Washington Post, water outages began on Monday after a winter storm caused widespread damage. Snow and ice affected the city’s main water facility, leading to power outages that were quickly restored. However, the storm caused a pump to stop working, and an area containing critical electrical equipment flooded, damaging key controls. This left Richmond residents grappling with empty taps and relying on bottled water distributions.
When Will Water Be Fully Restored?
After a full day without water, Avula expressed cautious optimism on Tuesday morning, saying he hoped water service could be restored by that evening. However, additional setbacks, including an electrical panel failure at a local water treatment plant, have delayed repairs. No updated timeline for full restoration has been provided.
“We’ve had multiple stops and starts over the course of the night,” Avula said. “While progress is being made, residents should continue to conserve water as the system stabilizes.”
Details on the Boil Water Advisory and Where to Pick Up Bottled Water
Avula also said that the boil water advisory likely wouldn’t be lifted ahead of Friday.
“At this point, I think it is unlikely that we will lift the boil water advisory before Friday,” Avula said, per WRIC.
According to WRIC, here are bottled water pick up locations that started giving water out at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday:
Broad Rock Library, located at 4820 Old Warwick Road
West End Library, located at 5420 Patterson Avenue
Hickory Hill Community Center, located at 3000 Belt Boulevard
Bellemeade Community Center, located at 1800 Lynhaven Avenue
Midtown Green, located at 2401 West Leigh Street
Pine Camp Community Center, located at 4901 Old Brook Road
Randolph Community Center, located at 1415 Grayland Avenue
Westover Hills CommunityCenter, located at 1301 Jahnke Road
East End District Initiative (EDI), located at 701 North 25th Street
Southside Plaza, located at 4100 Hull Street Road
Annie Marie Giles Community Resource and Training Center, located at 1400 Oliver Hill Way
