Richmond, VA – The City of Richmond has retained HNTB Corporation, an infrastructure development firm with more than 100 years of experience, to conduct an independent after-action report of the circumstances surrounding a weather-related power disruption to the water treatment plant that resulted in facility flooding, equipment malfunction, and a water service outage beginning on Jan. 6.
HNTB specializes in an array of infrastructure services including architecture, aviation, bridges and highways, construction management, mass transit, tunnels, and water systems.

From the earliest days of the outage – even as efforts were underway to restore water service – Richmond Mayor Danny Avula pledged that the City would bring in outside experts to lead a comprehensive, transparent, and independent investigation.

“I am committed to having a thorough investigation into what happened at the water treatment plant last week, and bringing HNTB on board is a key step in that process,” said Richmond Mayor Danny Avula. “As we move forward, my partners on City Council and I will keep the public informed and up to date on the after-action process.”

Having HNTB probe the water treatment plant outage will help officials better understand the events that transpired and provide a clear assessment of the performance of plant equipment and personnel during the outage.

Mayor Avula, in collaboration with City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille and City Council Vice President Katherine Jordan, interviewed a series of firms before narrowing the list to a few finalists, from which HNTB was selected.

"Vice President Jordan and I were pleased to work collaboratively with the Mayor and Administration to identify an independent third-party consultant to help us complete a thorough review of the water system and the recent crisis response. We have confidence that the community's voice will be at the center of HNTB's process.” said City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille.

The hiring of HNTB is an important step forward in identifying root causes and any potential system breakdowns in water treatment plant processes and operations.

Posted on Jan. 22, 2025

Due to wintry precipitation, City offices will open on a delayed schedule at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Although light snow is expected to end overnight, low temperatures may cause black ice. DPW crews will treat bridges, roads, and intersections overnight. Please commute with caution.

Employees are encouraged to contact their supervisor to confirm their adjusted reporting times and work arrangements. Supervisors will provide guidance based on departmental needs to ensure a smooth and efficient start to the workday.

Updates will be shared via email, the City website, and social media.

Posted Jan. 18 2025

Amid addition of system redundancy, Richmond’s water treatment plant continues to exceed the region’s demand for clean, safe water. 

Heading into another weekend with the potential for more winter weather, operations at the City’s water treatment plant are functioning as intended. Additional equipment has also been installed at the facility to add layers of redundancy. 

As of today, the water treatment plant continues to produce safe, clean water at a volume that exceeds consumption needs, and the City’s reservoir level is above the target height.  

Yesterday, a new UPS backup battery that supports plant systems was successfully installed along with a new finish water pump.  

Meanwhile, enhanced protocols to protect operational continuity at the water plant that were implemented ahead of last week’s snowstorm remain in effect. 

As part of the ongoing recovery effort, Mayor Danny Avula is also pleased to announce that the City has identified an existing relief fund and fiscal partner to support individuals and families impacted by the 2025 water crisis. The fund will start accepting donations from members of the public next week. The City and Mayor Danny Avula will share more details after the fund’s criteria and application process are solidified.  

This weekend, Mayor Danny Avula is traveling to Washington, D.C. for the 93rd Winter Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors on behalf of the City of Richmond. During his time there, the Mayor plans to consult with other municipal leaders and learn from their experiences with public utilities. Mayor Danny Avula remains in regular contact with key members of the City’s leadership team as well as operations staff at the water plant. He is prepared to promptly return to Richmond if necessary. 

Posted January 17, 2025

~Intersection enhancements support Vision Zero initiatives to improve roadway safety for all ~

RICHMOND, Va. – The Department of Public Works (DPW) will activate a new traffic signal at Cumberland and Laurel streets. Over the next week, weather permitting, the signal will be energized and temporarily placed in a flashing mode to alert motorists about the new traffic pattern. People are encouraged to exercise caution as the new signal is placed in activation mode.

• People driving on Cumberland Street will see signals flashing yellow and will no longer stop, while
• People driving on Laurel Street will see signals flashing red and must stop

The flashing mode provides motorists and pedestrians with an opportunity to adjust to the new pattern for about a week before it becomes a fully functioning signal-controlled intersection.

In addition, traffic signal work will begin later this month at these intersections:

• Patterson Avenue and Pepper Avenue - Installing a new traffic signal for proactive maintenance
• Midlothian Turnpike at 32nd Street - Upgrading the existing traffic signal

Features for these projects include:

• Overhead traffic signals on mast arm poles with high visibility backplates
• Countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons and high visibility crosswalk markings
• Accessible ramps for all ages and abilities with new sidewalks

During construction, there will be intermittent lane and sidewalk closures and the public is urged to follow posted signage for safety. Please remember to slow down when you see orange cones in the work zones and give construction workers extra space.

Weather permitting, these new projects are scheduled for completion in Fall 2025.

These projects are part of the city’s ongoing Vision Zero efforts to improve road safety and to modernize infrastructure across the city.

For information on DPW, go to www.rva.gov/public-works or email AskPublicWorks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on activities and events visit us on X (Twitter) @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 195 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting; graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1

Military veteran, professional engineer, and experienced local and state water services and systems leader Anthony “Scott” Morris selected as Interim Director of the Department of Public Utilities  

Richmond, VA – Anthony “Scott” Morris, DBA, PE, a U.S. Navy veteran, professional engineer, and the current Director of Water for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, has been selected as the Interim Director of Department of Public Utilities. 

The City’s Department of Public Utilities operates four utilities – natural gas, water, wastewater, and stormwater – and serves more than 500,000 residential and commercial customers in the Richmond and surrounding metropolitan region. 

“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,” said Interim DPU Director Anthony “Scott” Morris. “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.” 

Prior to accepting this role, Morris served as Director of Water at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as well as Chief Deputy at the agency. He previously held a series of roles with progressively increasing leadership responsibility in the Chesterfield County Utilities Department over a decade of service and spent four years working in wastewater plant operations for the City of Richmond. 

Morris is a decorated veteran of the United States Navy. He graduated from the naval nuclear program. His final duty station was the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). He earned a Doctorate of Business Administration degree from Liberty University, a Master’s in Information Services degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology with an area of study in Nuclear Engineering Technology from Thomas Edison State College, and an Association of Science degree in Wastewater and Technology from Mountain Empire Community College. 

Morris replaces outgoing DPU Director April N. Bingham who resigned from the City on Jan. 15, 2025.