Avula requests $80M in state funding for Richmond’s water system

Richmond Mayor Danny Avula is asking Gov. Glenn Youngkin to allocate $80 million in state funding to the capital city’s water system to help avoid future outages like the ones that affected state government earlier this year.

In a letter sent to the governor Wednesday, Avula said state assistance is needed to avoid saddling Richmond residents with higher utility bills or delaying infrastructure projects due to a lack of funding. 

The $80 million in requested state funding, Avula said, is an “essential first step” toward implementing a $1.4 billion capital plan the city has crafted for its water system over the next 10 years.

“Inclusion of this funding in the biennial budget would therefore not only prevent increases on the regional ratepayers but also accelerate project delivery, protect public health and strengthen the entire region’s economic base,” Avula wrote.

The mayor suggested the state allocating $40 million for Richmond’s water infrastructure in Virginia’s next two budget cycles.

It’s unclear how the request will be received by Youngkin and other state policymakers.

“The governor reviews all budget requests and looks forward to unveiling his proposed budget to the General Assembly in December,” said Youngkin spokesman Peter Finocchio. "To date, the commonwealth has made significant investments in infrastructure in Richmond, including investing approximately $323.5 million in the Richmond Combined Sewer Overflow project, $200 million of which was approved by Governor Youngkin."

The sewer overflow project — a costly effort to update city infrastructure to prevent wastewater from spilling into the James River during periods of heavy rain —  was a major infrastructure priority for Richmond before this year’s water trouble.

Before becoming mayor, Avula served in the Youngkin administration as Virginia’s commissioner of social services. With a gubernatorial election happening in November, Youngkin has only a few months left in office before his four-year term is over. Youngkin will still prepare a new, two-year state budget proposal on his way out the door, but he won’t be around next year when the General Assembly actually passes the budget under a new governor.

Polls show Democrat Abigail Spanberger as a strong favorite in the governor’s race, which means a newly inaugurated Democratic governor could be making the final call on whether to fund Richmond’s request for water infrastructure money.

Avula called Richmond’s water system the “backbone of public health and economic vitality” for the greater region, stressing that it serves both state offices and parts of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties.

“Despite the city’s strong commitment to infrastructure investment, Richmond households already bear some of the highest combined water and wastewater utility bills in the commonwealth,” Avula wrote.

The mayor included a list of several dozen water infrastructure projects the city wants to complete, with a total cost of about $265.7 million. They include replacing old pipes, rehabbing water tanks and a variety of technological and capacity upgrades at the water treatment plant that failed in January, leaving residents without usable water for nearly a week.

Avula said city officials “consulted with our counterparts in Central Virginia to assist in developing this request.” The letter is not signed by any county officials or members of the General Assembly.

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org