*** NEW UPDATE ***

Lane Closures – 6800 - 7100 blocks of Forest Hill Avenue

WHO:  City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (https://twitter.com/DPUStreetNews) 
 
WHAT:  Travel lanes in the 6800 – 7100 blocks of Forest Hill Avenue are impacted
 
WHEN:  Additional traffic impacts begin Friday, May 17 

WHERE: 6800 - 7100 blocks of Forest Hill Avenue (between Joe Brooks Boulevard and Hathaway Road)

BACKGROUND:  The City of Richmond became aware of a collapsed sewer main in this section of Forest Hill Avenue in April 2024. Temporary measures were taken which included stabilizing the ground to prevent additional collapse as well the installation of a bypass system to ensure no impact to sewer services.

City and contracted planners and engineers have developed a plan of action to replace the failed pipe and assess other areas of concern. Permanent replacement work will begin on Monday, May 20. The Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) barriers and notices will be installed beginning Friday, May 17 at 9:00 a.m.

Work will require that the eastbound traffic lanes of Forest Hill Avenue be closed between Joe Brooks Boulevard and Hathaway Road. Both eastbound and westbound lanes of Forest Hill Avenue traffic will share use of westbound lanes for the duration of the project. Access to businesses on Forest Hill Avenue will remain open during construction.

The detour will remain in place permanently until project completion, with the entire project anticipated to be complete by December 2024. Work hours are scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, Monday through Friday. During the work there will be large trucks and other construction equipment operating daily, which will result in an increased level of noise during working hours.

Motorists are reminded to pay attention to signage in the area, and to use caution while traveling through the work zone. Riders of GRTC buses are encouraged to check updated schedules (via ridegrtc.com or the GRTC mobile app) for changes to bus stops or schedules before travel.

Most sewers were installed in the early 1900’s and have deteriorated to the point that they have begun to leak, have failed (collapsed), or are at risk of failure. If not addressed, settling of road surfaces, back-ups, and other problems may occur.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while this critical infrastructure work continues. There is no impact to the water service in the area; your water supply remains safe for drinking and recreational activities.

Full project details can be found here: https://www.rva.gov/public-utilities/news/forest-hill-avenue-sanitary-sewer-replacement-project

###

Traffic Advisory

WHO:  City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (https://twitter.com/DPUStreetNews) 
 
WHAT:  Eastbound lane and right turn lane closures
 
WHEN:  Eastbound Lane is currently closed; turn lane closures have been added

WHERE: 6800 - 6900 blocks of Forest Hill Avenue

BACKGROUND:  The eastbound outer lane of Forest Hill Avenue between Hathaway and Cherokee Roads is closed due to a collapsed sewer main. Right turn lane closures have been added, to protect the safety of the workers in the work zone.

Emergency sewer line replacement will be required and will be underway soon. Currently, bypass features are in place to ensure there is no impact to sewer services. Most sewers were installed in the early 1900’s and have deteriorated to the point that they have begun to leak, have failed (collapsed), or are at risk of failure. If not addressed, settling of road surfaces, back-ups, and other problems may occur.

City and contracted planners and engineers are developing a plan of action to immediately replace the failed pipe and assess other areas of concern. Updates are forthcoming that will include additional impacts and timeline.

Planned pipe rehabilitation will be proceeding in phases in the curb lane from the Windsorview Drive and Forest Hill Avenue intersection area to the Powhite Parkway. This rehabilitation, called cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP), will help prevent future sewer failure. More details on that process can be found here. CIPP work will be contingent on closed-circuit-television (CCTV) footage that will be obtained beginning April 9.

Motorists are reminded to pay attention to signage in the area, and to use caution while traveling through the work zone. Riders of GRTC buses are encouraged to check updated schedules (via ridegrtc.com or the GRTC mobile app) for any changes to bus stops or schedules before travel.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of the traveling public while this critical infrastructure work continues. There is no impact to the water service in the area; your water supply remains safe for drinking and recreational activities.

City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities urges customers to enroll into MyHQ – a new electronic billing platform.

In February 2024, the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities launched a new electronic billing platform, MyHQ. MyHQ replaces MyCheckFree, a platform that close to 13,000 of DPU’s customers are enrolled in. Fiserv, the parent company of MyCheckFree, recently announced the platform’s retirement effective March 14, 2024. The final day customers can access their account information through the MyCheckfree.com website is March 13.

Over 5,600 customers have enrolled in MyHQ to date. All utility customers are encouraged to take advantage of this free, easy and paperless electronic billing and payment option to ensure safer delivery of utility bills and timely receipt of payments.

MyHQ functions the same as MyCheckFree, and offers additional enhancements. With MyHQ, customers can:

• Make ACH payments without a fee
• Choose from multiple notification types
• Automatic or manual payments
• View bills and payment history (up to 36 months)
• Setup AutoPay
• Configure notifications
• Create an easy to use wallet

Notices to impacted customers have occurred frequently since February, including direct emails and bill messages. All customers are encouraged to take action now to ensure a seamless transition.

Customers can sign up and explore other payment options by clicking here.

Here is what happens with MyCheckFree on March 14, 2024:

MyCheckFree.com service and customer accounts will be permanently disabled. Login access to MyCheckFree will be permanently disabled.

• All electronic payments scheduled for payment AFTER Thursday, March 14, 2024, will be permanently canceled.
• Customer will be unenrolled by Fiserv for all of their eBills received at MyCheckFree.com. The bill delivery preference on file with the bill provider will be used to resume delivery of bills. This bill delivery preference may include, without limitation, delivery by the US Postal Service (USPS) to the mailing address on file with the bill provider or paperless delivery supported by the bill provider.
• Automatic bill payments (“autopay”) will be disabled at MyCheckFree.com.
• All electronic payments with a scheduled payment date after Thursday, March 14, 2024, will be permanently canceled. Payments scheduled with a payment date of March 14, 2024, and before will be processed.
• Access to eBill and payment history will no longer be available at MyCheckFree.com service and customer accounts will be permanently disabled. Login access to MyCheckFree will be permanently disabled.

Don’t Delay, Enroll Today – it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s FREE!

High Water Bill FAQs 

Concerned about high water bills? We understand how distressing it can be. 

Read below or click here to better understand what to do if you have received one and require an investigation.

Why are customers receiving high water bills? 
DPU’s goal is to ensure you will only be charged for services used. During the pandemic, higher than normal meter readings were being estimated. For the past year, the Department of Public Utilities has been clearing that backlog and obtaining actual meter reads. Customers with high bills are alerted of such via a letter of explanation.  

What are reasons the meters could not be read? 
If a customer’s meter has been inaccessible for an electronic reading then the consumption was estimated. Inaccessibility can occur due to trash cans, cars, flower beds, mulch and other obstructions that block the transmission signal from the meter. 

Now that DPU is obtaining actual reads from the meters, what does that mean? 
When an actual read occurs, adjustments to the bill are then made based on that reading – which can result in higher or lower actual consumption.  

 What are reasons for an increase in consumption? 

• A reminder that lifestyles have changed as a result of the pandemic, which could mean higher consumption based on occupancy 
• A source of water leaks in the home is another for increases in consumption 
• A faulty meter reading due to equipment malfunction or transmission interruption 

What to do if you suspect a leak? 
You are encouraged to engage the services of a licensed plumber for professional assistance. If the related repairs are made, you have the option to submit your receipt to DPU for potential consideration of an account adjustment. Customers are eligible for one leak adjustment every 12 months. For guidance on household leak detection or how to fix a leak, please visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week#  or Fix A Leak Week Demo - YouTube 

What if I have my home checked for leaks and none were found? 
If you are certain that your property does not have a leak, DPU will change the meter and/or the meter transmitting device. Once a new meter is installed, the old meter will be tested against standards published by the American Water Works Association (AWWA).  

How do I request an investigation? 
Please email DPU at dpucustserv@rva.gov or call (804) 646-4646 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm so that we can dispatch a technician for field support.  To help us identify and track your email request, please insert “METER READ REQUEST” in the subject line.  If a billing adjustment is warranted, DPU will place a courtesy hold and send a corrected bill, which could take up to 3 billing cycles. Please note DPU will use the newly installed meter to establish a daily average consumption (DAC) for billing purposes, which could take up to 45 days to calculate.  

What happens if the actual meter readings are correct, the meter tests as “PASS”, and I owe a significant balance? 
If the test results from the old meter are confirmed as “PASS”, DPU offers convenient payment plans to allow you to manage your balance over time.  Please visit www.richmond.promise-pay.com 

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities is aware of a communication customers are receiving regarding the retirement of MyCheckFree, a bill payment service DPU’s billing partner Kubra utilizes. Current customers are able to utilize this service until it is retired March 13, 2024. DPU is actively pursuing a similar service and anticipating that to be in place by March 13, 2024 to ensure a seamless transfer of customer information. We invite impacted customers to follow this space for updates. Information on other payment options can be found here.

UPDATE 2

MyHQ is now LIVE.

MyHQ is a new eBill option available for enrollment. All customers are encourage to take advantage of this free, easy and paperless electronic billing and payment option to ensure safer delivery of bills and payments.

Click here to access MyHQ.

UPDATE 1
City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities customers who are using the MyCheckFree platform may receive subsequent reminders informing them of its retirement on March 13, 2024.

This past month, DPU has been working very closely with our billing vendor Kubra to provide a replacement platform which is called MyHQ. The MyHQ platform will have the following features:

• Notification of current bill
• Ability to view current and historical bills (up to 36 months, versus the 6 months currently with MyCheckFree)
• ACH payments
• Auto pay set up

DPU is anticipating a Go-Live date of February 26, 2024 at which time MyCheckFree customers can establish an account with MyHQ to continue their e-bill options. Future updates will be posted here.