Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Richmond has announced changes at the Department of Utilities following last week’s heavily scrutinized water outage.
Mayor Danny Avula has decided to bring in state water official Anthony "Scott" Morris to serve as the new interim director of the Department of Utilities after former DPU Director April Bingham announced her resignation on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
In a press release, Avula’s administration said Morris – an engineer and U.S. Navy veteran who had been working as director of water at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – will now lead the department.
“As someone with a history of working in local and state water service roles, including a previous tenure with the city of Richmond as a wastewater plant chief operator, I am excited to return to Richmond to lead the Department of Public Utilities,” Morris said in the release.
This comes after a failure at the city’s water treatment plant left city residents without water for nearly a week. Bingham, whose job entailed making sure the facility was in good condition, faced scrutiny both during and after the crisis.
The city’s press release did not specify whether Bingham was asked to step down in light of recent events or if she resigned voluntarily.
Morris previously held leadership roles during his tenure with Chesterfield County Utilities Department and The City of Richmond.
“As the city continues to recover from the recent water service outage at the plant, I look forward to working with the team to support the delivery of essential utility services to Richmonders," Morris said.