A broken water main caused water pressure to drop across Richmond overnight, with residents in several neighborhoods reporting little to no water as of early Friday morning.

The city's Department of Public Utilities first noticed the low pressure issue around 1:30 a.m.

The city said Friday evening that all customers should have pressure that is "within normal conditions," with pressure continuing to increase as storage tanks fill.

Earlier in the day, officials said the repair process will be a lengthy one.

"DPU’s initial assessment shows that extensive repairs will be needed, and are expected to take several weeks," they wrote. "During that time, we will continue to maintain service to all users, and water disruption is not anticipated."

A city spokesperson said the water remains safe to drink across the city and in portions of Henrico County served by the Richmond water treatment plant.

What happened

At 2:36 a.m., the city sent out a message through its alert system: “Crews are responding to the report of a water main break at Trafford Pump Station and Westhampton Pump Station.”

That alert turned out to be inaccurate.

The second message said the break, which came on a 3-foot line, was later identified as being "parallel to the canal." The city has not identified the exact location of the break, but officials said it was in the downtown area near the floodwall, north of the James River.

Richmond "diverted flow" from Henrico to handle the situation, officials said, which appeared to cause some Henrico residents to also experience lower pressure.

On Friday morning, the Country Club of Virginia announced it was closing its Westhampton clubhouse until further notice because of the water issues. The club said its golf course would still be open.

For residents, the news brought back memories of the Jan. 2025 water crisis, when the city was without water for five days.

New water trouble could be particularly jarring for some Richmonders heading into a long Fourth of July weekend when temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees. The weather led city officials to cancel Richmond’s annual fireworks display at Dogwood Dell.

Mayor responds

In an email to the City Council Friday morning, Mayor Danny Avula said that even though things "are in good shape," the communication could have been quicker.

"I recognize how sensitive all things water are, and should have pulled together a quick summary for you all earlier in the morning, ideally before you started hearing from media or constituents," the mayor wrote.

Despite the somewhat sluggish communication, Avula stressed that the city's "actual response was exactly what it needed to be."

The city's 6 p.m. press conference emphasized that the response kept water flowing for residents.

"This was an isolated water main break; however DPU mitigated this interruption by balancing system demands throughout the nine pressures zones in the system and working closely with our regional partners," the city wrote. "Drinking water remained safe during these activities and continues to be due to the decisive action taken by staff and their dedication to our customers.

"DPU continues to coordinate with its regional partners and may adjust system operations further to address any localized pressure concerns."

City administrators have cited the restoration of the water plant as something that has built trust among residents. Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II referenced it earlier this week in the latest edition of his podcast.

In the episode, he said: “I remember early on, I think it was probably about six months before I came, we had the water crisis, and now most recently, we just endured two back-to-back brutal winter storms, and the one thing that was consistent is when you turned that faucet on, water came out. Very big deal.”

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