Richmond water plant under new management as City Hall staff changes continue

Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities has hired a former state and federal water official as a new deputy director to work out of the city’s beleaguered water treatment plant and help oversee its operations, according to the city.

Doug Towne, who was serving as the water plant’s superintendent when January’s water crisis struck, has been put on paid administrative leave, officials said. 

Ricky Hatfield, a longtime DPU employee, is serving as the acting plant superintendent until the position can be filled on a permanent basis. Hatfield’s most recent role at DPU was senior capital projects manager.

Perhaps the more significant change is the hiring of new DPU Deputy Director Tony Singh, an environmental engineer who previously worked for the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both of those regulatory agencies have been involved in flagging problems at Richmond’s water plant and suggesting needed improvements.

Singh — who started his role with the city on May 19 — will work with new DPU Director Scott Morris, another former state water official, to shore up the water plant after a rough start to the year.

Mayor Danny Avula hired Morris in January to replace former DPU head April Bingham, who was in the role on Jan. 6 when a loss of power at the water plant cascaded into a crisis that left the city without usable water for nearly a week.

In a March interview with WTVR, Bingham defended her time leading DPU and faulted the water plant staff for failing to report problems up the chain of command.

Bingham’s defense got some validation in April, when problems with the plant’s fluoride system went unreported to city officials outside the facility and left Avula scrambling to explain why a second water-related problem wasn’t communicated to the public in a timely manner. 

Excess fluoride was added to the water during the April incident, but city and state officials have said the water remained safe to drink because the fluoride levels didn’t get high enough to pose a health hazard.

The fluoride incident appeared to give the mayor’s office a renewed sense of urgency for a change of direction at the water plant. Hatfield took over as the interim plant superintendent on May 12, the same day the city received a notice of alleged violation from state water regulators over the fluoride problem.

Though the water crisis made DPU an early focus for Avula, the mayor has not filled out a senior leadership team to oversee the broader operations of city government.

On Friday, Avula announced a few stopgap measures to keep City Hall running until he can hire a permanent chief administrative officer after interim CAO Sabrina Joy-Hogg announced she will leave that role on June 6.

Avula named Sharon Ebert, the city’s current deputy CAO for planning and economic development, as acting CAO. But he said he intends to announce his CAO hire on June 6, the same day Joy-Hogg’s tenure ends.

“Richmond, get excited! I cannot wait for you to meet your new CAO! You’re going to love them, and we’re going to do great things together,” Avula said in Friday’s news release. “I promised to conduct a national search for a top-talent CAO, I’ve kept that promise, and I know this one is a home run.” 

Joy-Hogg has been doing dual duty, serving as both interim CAO and doing her old job as deputy CAO for finance and administration.

To bring in extra help on the finance front, Avula is turning to one of Richmond’s neighbors.

Brandon Hinton, Henrico County’s deputy county manager for administration, will serve as Richmond’s acting DCAO for finance and administration starting next week. The city described Hinton as being “on loan” from Henrico, saying he will return to his county job later this summer.

Avula characterized the city’s need to borrow a Henrico official as a sign of regional cooperation and partnership with Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas.

“When I reached out to the county manager to see if he’d be open to loaning us Brandon for a couple of months, he had absolutely zero hesitation,” Avula said. His willingness to lend a hand and Brandon’s willingness to serve his neighbors in Richmond are a great example of what we can accomplish when we work together.”

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org