Avula asks for joint Richmond-Henrico meeting to discuss future for region’s water system
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula is trying to convene a joint meeting of the Richmond City Council and Henrico County Board of Supervisors to discuss regional steps to strengthen the local water system.
The initial Richmond-Henrico meeting Avula is requesting will be part of a broader push for a “regional advisory group” that would also involve Chesterfield and Hanover Counties.
“With the launch of this new water advisory group, we are coming together for honest dialogue, shared problem-solving, and meaningful action,” Avula said in a news release Friday. “I was elected to fix deeply entrenched problems, and that means working across jurisdictional lines with our neighbors, just like I’ve done in previous roles. We are closely connected with our regional partners, and it is vitally important that we intentionally plan for a resilient, thriving regional water system.”
A date for the Richmond-Henrico water meeting has not yet been set, but city officials said a public notice “will be issued in the coming weeks.”
The to-be-scheduled regional meeting could be an initial step toward a more shared water system that’s been floated as a possibility in the aftermath of Richmond’s water woes this year. The city had to issue two boil water advisories, one in January and one in May, due to problems at its water treatment facility that limited the supply of finished water that was safe to drink. In April, the city added an unusually high amount of fluoride to the water, a problem that wasn’t serious enough to create a public health hazard but nevertheless drew scrutiny from state regulators who monitor water safety.
The Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water said the repeated problems at Richmond’s water plant have been “very concerning” given the size of the facility and its significance to Virginia’s capital region.
Henrico is the city's largest water customer, which means the county also feels the impact when things go wrong in Richmond. Chesterfield and Hanover aren't as reliant on the city for water, but they too have a stake in the regional discussion.
After January's water crisis, officials have mentioned the prospect of creating a jointly run regional water authority, but there are numerous financial and oversight issues that would have to be worked out in order before that concept could become reality.
On Tuesday, Avula sent elected officials in Richmond and Henrico a letter inviting them to participate in the upcoming meeting.
“The events of the last six months have underscored that our region is deeply connected,” the mayor wrote. “The issues facing both the City of Richmond and Henrico County do not stop at our shared border. And the issues we are currently tackling together are pressing: housing, opioids, transportation, and economic development to name a few. However, access to reliable, clean, and safe drinking water across our region is absolutely critical and deserves our immediate and focused attention.”
The water advisory group is expected to hold a “kickoff meeting” in July, with additional work happening over the summer and into the fall.
A report with policy recommendations could be completed by the spring of 2026.
Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org
