Live water updates: City remains on pace to lift boil advisory midday Thursday

Wednesday 3:55 p.m.

Richmond officials have collected the second water sample needed to put the city on a path toward lifting its boil water advisory and expect to receive results on the first sample around 9 p.m. this evening. 

Under state health regulations, lifting the advisory requires that the city successfully pass two water quality tests conducted 16 hours apart. Because the samples must sit for 24 hours after collection, the earliest the water could be declared safe to drink would be midday Thursday. 

Scott Morris, director of Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities, told a City Council committee Wednesday afternoon that the second sample had been collected at 11:30 a.m. today. 

Now pumping at a rate of 60 to 65 million gallons per day, the water treatment plant “is functioning as intended,” he said, although he noted four filters are still having mechanical issues. 

Morris said it’s still too early to know exactly what caused the plant’s filters to clog twice on Tuesday, blocking enough water from flowing into the distribution system and leading pressure to drop below the 20 psi threshold set by the state for boil water advisories to go into effect. While it isn’t unusual at this time of year for large amounts of sediment to be in the James River, the source of the region’s drinking water, he said other factors like the water’s pH could have contributed to the filters becoming overwhelmed. 

In the coming weeks, DPU staff will be working with the Virginia Department of Health to figure out exactly what went wrong, Morris promised Council. 

“It’s not going to be three months out,” he said. “It’s weeks at most.” 

Wednesday 9:15 a.m.

Officials reported Wednesday morning that things are still looking positive on the recovery front, with pressure levels holding steady and the Byrd Park reservoir continuing to fill.

"Significant progress was made towards filling the reservoir and water tanks," the city said in a news release.

Officials announced plans for limited distribution of bottled water to six high-priority places and communities. Water will be distributed, officials said, to health care facilities, senior living facilities, public housing communities, shelters, mobile home communities and Richmond Public Schools.

The bottled water distribution will be handled by the city's Department of Neighborhood and Community Services.

"The DNCS team will monitor the need and demand for bottled water in the coming days and will adjust capacity as needed," the city said. "At this time the city of Richmond is not offering bottled water delivery or pick-up to the general public." 

Wednesday morning update

Read the latest on the timeline and causes in this morning's newsletter

Tuesday, 9:42 p.m. update

Clock starts on lifting boil water advisory; midday Thursday would be the earliest

6:18 p.m.

Boil advisory extended to Manchester, Route 1 corridor

3 p.m

Read updates from Mayor Danny Avula's press conference here

2:55 p.m.

City Council has postponed its regularly scheduled meeting from tonight to next Monday.

2:44 p.m.

The city has released an interactive map, searchable by address, showing impacted residents.

There will be a 3 p.m. press briefing updating the situation. Stay tuned to The Richmonder for updates.

1:46 p.m.

VCU buildings on both campuses will remain open and scheduled classes will continue, according to the university’s alert.

University employees have the option to work remotely, while others on campus can still use toilets but not fountains or water bottle stations.

“Water conservation is encouraged on campus and throughout the city,” the alert said.

Richmond Public Schools announced in a Facebook post that Albert Hill Middle will dismiss early on Tuesday.

The announcement said that “water pressure remains steady” at the majority of schools but they will be covering water fountains across all schools in the division.

“Every other school will proceed with a regular dismissal and after-school schedule, and be in touch later this afternoon with an operational update regarding tomorrow,” the post said.

12:42 p.m.

City Council has asked for an update on the situation at its informal meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. this afternoon, according to Councilor Katherine Jordan, whose 2nd District includes many of the areas impacted by the boil advisory. That meeting will occur in the City Council chambers.

Richmonders interested in seeing the council's reaction can also watch a live stream of this afternoon's proceedings.

12:27 p.m.

Once the city water is back to full pressure and repairs are fixed, the city must sample the water two times, 16 hours apart. The city will submit those samples to the State Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, the state’s lab. The samples may also be processed by a waterworks contracted state certified lab. 

After samples show that water is safe and clean to use, the city can then return to normal drinking water standards and lift the boil advisory.

The city is continuing to recommend conserving water while it works on ramping up production.

12:02 p.m.

Here is a high-resolution version of the map showing impacted areas.

11:51 a.m.

Richmond Public Schools said the "overwhelming majority" of its schools have water service, but it will cover the water fountains as a precautionary measure. At this time, the schools will keep a regular schedule.

Original story

The City of Richmond has issued a localized Boil Water Advisory immediately and until further notice for all residents served by the Ginter Park Tank. The city released a map showing the impacted areas.

On Tuesday morning, the city said that high turbidity in the water overnight, meaning additional sediment, caused water filters to clog, but the plant was producing water above the boil water threshold.

Hours later, the city reversed its earlier guidance and issued the boil water advisory.

"The filters reclogged after running at full production for over an hour," according to the release.

The map of impacted neighborhoods includes Byrd Park, Brookland Park, Carver, Carytown, Chamberlayne, the Fan, Ginter Park, Jackson Ward, Laburnum Park, the Museum District, the North Side, Oregon Hill, Randolph, Scott’s Addition, VCU’s Monroe Park campus, Windsor Farms, and parts of the city center.

The city said: "Some customers in this area may experience a total loss of water service, while others may experience varying degrees of loss in water pressure. 

"Impacted residents are encouraged to take conservation steps immediately, and boil water before consuming it. The list of impacted residents may also expand as water usage continues; residents in all neighborhoods are encouraged to conserve water and to stay up-to-date at rva.gov or on the City’s social media pages."

This has been a breaking news report. Updates will be posted to Richmonder.org as they become available.

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