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.

Posted Jan. 11, 2025

Two rounds of laboratory tests confirm City water is free of harmful contaminants 

Today at 11:30 a.m., Mayor Danny Avula announced that the Virginia Department of Health has officially lifted the Boil Water Advisory for the City of Richmond. Following the results of two rounds of clean laboratory tests, the City’s water supply is confirmed safe for drinking. The Boil Water Advisories for Hanover, Henrico, and Goochland counties have also been lifted. 

“We have reached our goal, Richmond,” said Mayor Avula. “After an incredible amount of work by so many dedicated public servants — as well as regional, state, and federal partners — we have received the news we’ve been waiting for: With two rounds of clean test results, we have verified that our water is clean and safe for people to drink. Accordingly, I am pleased to announce the end of the boil water advisory. I also want to sincerely thank Richmonders for their patience and understanding throughout this challenging time.” 

“The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts have worked tirelessly to support the response to this challenging event. We appreciate the collaborations across state and local governments, as well as with community partners, to protect the health of the public during this time,” added Dr. Elaine Perry, Director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts. “In addition to our roles as public health workers, we are also residents, and we share our neighbors’ gratitude for thorough testing that ensures our water is safe to drink. We will continue to follow guidance from the city about water usage as we return to our normal habits, and we encourage people looking for additional health information to visit https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/richmond-city/.” 

“City Council deeply appreciates the hard work City workers, and regional and state partners have put in to restore safe drinking water to Richmond residents. We thank the Richmond community for coming together to support each other during this crisis. My colleagues and I look forward to collaborating with Mayor Avula and his team as we chart a path forward,” remarked City Council President Dr. Cynthia Newbille.  

Beginning Monday afternoon and continuing throughout the entire week, the City of Richmond; its regional, state, and national partners; and third-party experts have all been involved in the effort to lift the boil water advisory. 

Two rounds of testing, conducted 16 hours apart, are required to confirm water safety in these circumstances. The testing process involves collecting multiple samples from sites across the City water system. Collection of the first round of test samples began around 10:30 a.m. Thursday and clean results were received Friday afternoon. The second round of samples were collected Friday morning from 7:30-11:30 a.m. and test results were received Saturday at 11:30 a.m.  

The boil water advisory was issued on Monday, January 6, as a precaution to protect public health due to low or no water pressure in the distribution system. Testing conducted earlier in the week affirmed that even during the water service restoration process the city’s drinking water met or exceeded state and federal drinking water requirements. The city’s water system has 70,000 customer connections. These connections include a combination of single and multi-unit residential and commercial properties. 

People 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. The water safety testing process involves certified laboratory assessment in which samples are evaluated over a 24-hour period to see if they contain contaminants such as harmful bacteria. 

Additional guidance for community residents about what to do now that the boil water advisory has been lifted can be found online here: https://www.rva.gov/press-releases-and-announcements/news/water-restoration-updates  

Moving forward, Mayor Avula is committed to conducting a comprehensive and transparent after-action analysis to better understand what happened at the water treatment plant. As envisioned, the process will include an accurate timeline of events, and identify recommendations on appropriate changes to policies, procedures, and infrastructure. In collaboration with City Council, the City will work with third-party experts to conduct the after-action analysis and will soon release more information about that process. 

Se levanta el aviso de hervir el agua en la ciudad de Richmond

Dos rondas de pruebas de laboratorio confirman que el agua de la ciudad está libre de contaminantes dañinos

Hoy a las 11:30 a.m., el alcalde Danny Avula anunció que el Departamento de Salud de Virginia ha levantado oficialmente el aviso de hervir el agua para la ciudad de Richmond. Tras los resultados de dos rondas de pruebas de laboratorio limpias, se confirma que el suministro de agua de la ciudad es seguro para beber. También se han levantado las advertencias de hervir el agua para Hanover, Henrico y Goochland.

"Hemos alcanzado nuestro objetivo, Richmond", dijo el alcalde Avula. "Después de una increíble cantidad de trabajo por parte de tantos servidores públicos dedicados, así como de aliados regionales, estatales y federales, hemos recibido la noticia que hemos estado esperando: con dos rondas de resultados de pruebas limpios, hemos verificado que nuestra agua es segura para beber. En consecuencia, me da gusto anunciar el fin del aviso de hervir el agua".

"Los Distritos de Salud de Richmond y Henrico han trabajado incansablemente para apoyar la respuesta a este desafiante evento. Apreciamos las colaboraciones entre los gobiernos estatales y locales, así como con los socios comunitarios, para proteger la salud del público durante este tiempo", agregó la Dra. Elaine Perry, Directora de los Distritos de Salud de Richmond y Henrico. "Además de nuestro papel como trabajadores de salud pública, nosotros también vivimos aquí, y compartimos la gratitud de nuestros vecinos por las pruebas exhaustivas que garantizan que nuestra agua sea segura para beber. Continuaremos siguiendo las pautas de la ciudad sobre el uso del agua a medida que regresemos a nuestros hábitos normales, y alentamos a las personas que buscan información adicional sobre salud a visitar https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/richmond-city/".

"El Concejo Municipal aprecia profundamente el arduo trabajo que los empleados municipales y los colaboradores regionales y estatales han realizado para restaurar el agua potable segura para los habitantes de Richmond. Agradecemos a la comunidad de Richmond por unirse para apoyarse mutuamente durante esta crisis. Mis colegas y yo esperamos colaborar con el alcalde Avula y su equipo mientras trazamos un camino hacia adelante", comentó la presidenta del Concejo Municipal, la Dra. Cynthia Newbille.

Desde el lunes por la tarde y durante toda la semana, la Ciudad de Richmond; sus aliados regionales, estatales y nacionales; y expertos externos han estado involucrados en el esfuerzo por levantar la advertencia de hervir el agua.

Se requieren dos rondas de pruebas, realizadas con 16 horas de diferencia, para confirmar la seguridad del agua en estas circunstancias. El proceso de prueba implica la recolección de múltiples muestras de sitios en todo el sistema de agua de la Ciudad. La recolección de la primera ronda de muestras de prueba comenzó alrededor de las

10:30 a.m. el jueves y los resultados limpios se recibieron el viernes por la tarde. La segunda ronda de muestras se recolectó el viernes por la mañana entre las 7:30 a 11:30 a.m. y los resultados de las pruebas se recibieron el sábado a las 11:30 a.m.

El aviso de hervir el agua se emitió el lunes 6 de enero como precaución para proteger la salud pública debido a la baja o nula presión de agua en el sistema de distribución. Las pruebas realizadas a principios de semana afirmaron que incluso durante el proceso de restauración del servicio de agua, el agua potable de la ciudad cumplió o superó los requisitos estatales y federales de agua potable. El sistema de agua de la ciudad tiene 70.000 conexiones de clientes. Estas conexiones incluyen una combinación de propiedades residenciales y comerciales de una o varias unidades.

Las personas deben tener en cuenta que el agua que sale de los grifos puede estar temporalmente turbia debido a las burbujas de aire atrapadas a medida que el sistema continúa normalizándose en toda la ciudad. Este es un resultado esperado y no representa un riesgo para la salud. El proceso de prueba de seguridad del agua implica una evaluación de laboratorio certificada en la que las muestras se evalúan durante un período de 24 horas para ver si contienen contaminantes como bacterias dañinas.

Puede encontrar orientación adicional para los habitantes de la comunidad sobre qué hacer ahora que se ha levantado el aviso de hervir el agua en línea aquí: https://www.rva.gov/press-releases-and-announcements/news/water-restora…

En el futuro, el alcalde Avula se compromete a realizar un análisis posterior a las acciones que sea exhaustivo y transparente para comprender mejor lo que sucedió en la planta de tratamiento de agua. Según lo concebimos, el proceso incluirá un cronograma preciso de los eventos e identificará recomendaciones sobre cambios apropiados en las políticas, los procedimientos y la infraestructura. La Ciudad trabajará con expertos externos para llevar a cabo el análisis posterior a las acciones y pronto dará a conocer más información sobre ese proceso.