Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Following an operational issue at Richmond’s water treatment plant on Tuesday, some parts of the city remain under a boil water advisory.
In an announcement Wednesday morning, city officials said the water level in the reservoir had risen to nine feet overnight and that the first water sample had been taken.
The first of two compliance samples, which are required to lift the advisory, were taken at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Department of Public Utilities will take the second sample today around 1 p.m.
Until the boil water advisory is lifted, the city said multiple agencies led by the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) plan to deliver bottled water through partner organizations and support agencies to the following communities:
• Healthcare facilities
• Senior living facilities
• Manufactured home communities
• Public housing neighborhoods
• Shelters
• Richmond Public Schools
“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.
On Tuesday night, Mayor Danny Avula said the earliest the advisory could be lifted is midday Thursday, May 29.
Click here to view a searchable map of the neighborhoods impacted by the boil water advisory.
Impacted residents may have little to no water pressure. Any water residents can get from their taps should be boiled before use for most purposes.
This is Richmond's second boil water advisory this year. It comes about five months after the January water crisis, which left many residents and businesses without water for nearly six days.
This time, the boil water advisory was put into place due to high turbidity -- or cloudiness -- in the water. What caused the filters to become clogged remains under investigation. City officials are working with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to better understand why the water coming into the water treatment plant was not good quality.
“The Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Office of Drinking Water (ODW) was notified in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 27 of a difficulty at Richmond’s Water Treatment Plant," VDH officials said. "Richmond officials reported that an increase in turbidity of the water coming into the plant led to clogged filters. In an effort to clean the filters, water production was halted temporarily which led to a decrease in water pressure."
For updates and information on lifting a boil water advisory, you can visit the VDH Richmond Water Response page.
