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.  

Posted Jan. 14, 2025

Pumps operating at the plant continue to produce clean and safe water at a volume of 68 million gallons per day 

Richmond, VA – Richmond’s water treatment plant along the James River is now operating with three main finish water pumps and two auxiliary pumps, after a finish water pump failed overnight.  

Together, these pumps are currently producing 68 million gallons of water daily to serve the City’s distribution network – as well as sending water to Hanover and Henrico counties. That volume is greater than the average water consumption for this time of year. Additionally, the level in the City’s reservoir is at a normal operating height of 17.24 feet as of 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. 

Three primary pumps are in service because one pump at the water treatment plant went offline earlier today. In addition to the three primary pumps and two auxiliary pumps in service at the plant, another auxiliary pump is enroute to support operations and provide system redundancy. A new UPS backup battery system has been successfully installed and tested at the plant.  

The additional personnel (city staff, contractors, and outside experts), resources, and equipment deployed to the water plant heading into last weekend remain on-site. And the new processes and protocols that have been implemented to closely monitor water system function and staff expectations are being followed. 

The City of Richmond and the Department of Public Utilities is continuing to closely monitor this situation and bring in additional resources to support the ongoing function of the water system. 

Posted January 12, 2025

Operations at the City of Richmond’s Water Treatment Plant continue to function as intended this weekend in the wake of the successful water service restoration effort. The system has maintained full pressure across the distribution network and reservoir levels are at the appropriate height to sustain normal consumer water consumption.

Additionally, the Water Treatment Plant continues to follow industry best practices to keep Richmond’s water safe and clean from harmful bacteria. When full water service resumed, Coliform bacteria and E. coli were absent and chlorine was detected across the entire water system, verifying the safety of Richmond’s drinking water.

Adding chlorine to drinking water is the primary way harmful bacteria are kept out of our drinking water systems. Recent water tests conducted at the water plant’s two finished drinking water basins – water in these basins is in the final stages of the treatment process prior to entering the distribution network that flows to homes and businesses – show that current Total Residual Chlorine (TRC) levels are above the required regulatory threshold. This means the water is safe for drinking.

At-home test kits measuring for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are not an indicator of water quality or bacterial contamination. TDS tests measure water’s ability to conduct electricity and are intended to provide customers an understanding of the hardness of their water. Total Dissolved Solids are considered a nuisance chemical by EPA Safe Drinking Water Act secondary standards with a Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level of 500 ppm. Nuisance chemicals are not considered health threatening – they only affect the aesthetic quality of water. Learn about TDS tests and more from the Virginia Department of Health.

On Saturday, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula announced the formal end of the Boil Water Advisory for the City following the results of two rounds of clean laboratory tests that confirmed the water supply is clean and safe for drinking. Boil Water Advisories for Hanover, Henrico, and Goochland counties were also lifted.

Residents should be aware that water coming out of faucets may temporarily be cloudy due to trapped air bubbles as the system continues to normalize across the city. This is not unusual, and it does not pose a health risk.

Learn more about the City’s response on rva.gov.