RICHMOND — Efforts to fully restore water service in Richmond faced another setback Tuesday evening, just hours before the Virginia General Assembly is set to convene for its 2025 session. The disruptions, caused by a winter storm that knocked out power to the city’s water treatment plant, were further complicated when an equipment failure at the facility slowed progress, city officials said.
The water crisis had forced the closure of all state office buildings in Richmond, including the state Capitol and the General Assembly Building, as well as state offices in Hanover County.
Earlier in the day, city officials had reported signs of improvement, including restored computer systems and resumed water flow. However, a malfunction in an electric panel at the plant has now extended the timeline for bringing the water system back to full capacity.
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula acknowledged the delay but said crews are working to correct the problems and get residents’ water flowing again.
“While we are disappointed to learn that the Tuesday afternoon panel failure has slowed our progress, service teams remain on duty round-the-clock to re-pressurize the water system and restore water distribution throughout the city,” Avula said in a statement.
“We are pulling in additional resources and experts to help solve the problem as we work towards returning water service to full functionality.”
City engineers initially believed the malfunction would not cause significant delays, but further analysis revealed a more complex issue requiring additional time and resources to address.
Staff from the Department of Public Utilities, along with local and national experts, are continuing efforts to restore operations. Avula has maintained a presence at the plant to oversee the process and ensure all available resources are being deployed to resolve the situation.
“Because clean and available drinking water is paramount to public health and a thriving life, we are working hard to make sure Richmond has access to safe and clean drinking water,” Avula said.
The boil water advisory remains in effect, and residents are encouraged to conserve water. Officials have not provided an updated timeline for lifting the advisory but previously warned that drinkable water may not be available until Thursday.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been closely monitoring the situation and remains in contact with Richmond Mayor Danny Avula, according to Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez.
“The Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Virginia Department of Health have coordinated closely with the city to provide technical support and emergency supplies,” Martinez said earlier on Tuesday.
He added that state agencies worked overnight to supply area hospitals with tanker trucks of water and delivered nearly 70 pallets of bottled water to the city, with an additional 350 pallets en route for distribution.
To support vulnerable populations, Richmond’s Human Services portfolio partnered with the Richmond Sheriff’s Office and the American Red Cross to distribute bottled water in high-priority areas. Deliveries focused on homeless shelters, public housing, and residences for older adults, with outreach efforts continuing throughout the day.
Bottled water distribution sites across the city are set to operate until 2 p.m. on Wednesday at these locations:
- Broad Rock Library
- Hickory Hill Community Center
- Bellemeade Community Center
- Midtown Green
- Pine Camp Community Center
- Westover Hills Community Center
- East End District Initiative (EDI)
State and local officials will provide updates as testing progresses and conditions improve. Residents are reminded to boil water for at least three minutes before drinking, cooking, or brushing teeth until the advisory is lifted.
Impact on the legislature?
The ongoing crisis comes at a critical time for Richmond, as 140 lawmakers and their staff from across the state prepare to return to the state Capitol on Wednesday to begin the 2025 legislative session. State officials have not yet indicated whether the closures will impact the session’s schedule, but contingency plans are expected if water service is not fully restored by then.
In an email to lawmakers and staff at the state Capitol early Tuesday morning, House Clerk Paul Nardo urged individuals who had already accessed the building to vacate the premises immediately.
“Yesterday, a cascading series of events occurred when a power outage from the winter storm knocked out power to Richmond’s water reservoir system and caused it to malfunction, taking the system offline. Since then, city and state government officials have been communicating and working to resolve the situation which is having a significant impact on everyone, including those of us on Capitol Square,” Nardo said in the email.
By Tuesday morning, officials had no clean or safe water and the water pressure has “gone kaput in the Capitol and GAB” as the morning has started to unfold, Nardo added.
“When water does come back up, officials have asked us to conserve water to help with pressure. So we literally have no water in some seat-of-government buildings right now, and it’s very low in the Capitol and GAB,” Nardo said. “It’s just not safe yet to resume non-drinking water uses like flushing toilets and washing hands.”
And once conditions returned back to normal, it could still take between 16 and 18 hours for operations to resume safely. “Also, there are sprinkler issues due to water pressure issues if a fire were to occur. It doesn’t take an expert to see the writing on the wall,” Nardo said.
The city will continue to communicate new information as it becomes available on its website and its social media pages.
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