Richmond Lifts Boil Water Advisory as Officials Point to Clogged Plant Filters

Richmond officials have ended a boil water advisory that affected residents and businesses on both sides of the city, saying they have identified the cause of the treatment problems at the city's water plant.

The advisory began Tuesday in the city's Northside and later expanded to areas south of the river. It was lifted at 2:30 p.m. Thursday's reporting date window aside, officials said the decision followed a second negative water quality test. Two sets of samples, one collected Tuesday night and another at midday Wednesday, came back free of harmful bacteria, according to the announcement, and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) lifted the advisory.

Mayor Danny Avula and Department of Public Utilities Director Scott Morris said high turbidity in the James River allowed sediment to enter the treatment plant and clog its filters. Officials named "alum sludge" as the specific cause of the clogging. Alum is a chemical used during treatment to capture sediment, bringing particles down onto plate settlers so they do not reach the filters.

CBS 6 investigative reporter Tyler Layne found on Tuesday that an apparent maintenance request dated May 12 noted the plate settlers, a type of sediment filter at the plant, needed cleaning to "remove alum sludge." The request does not appear to have been fulfilled right away.

The work order was later updated with an entry saying an employee had asked on May 14 for the plate settlers to be "thoroughly washed and cleaned." That employee was "informed by operations this was not a good time," and the work would have to be done later.

Morris said the city is responding with a policy change. "We are implementing a new maintenance policy to ensure these filters and settlers are cleaned on a regular basis," he said.

Avula acknowledged residents' frustration, particularly because the city recently went through another water crisis. "We are working to address things as quickly as we can, but it could take several years to develop a new culture in the city of Richmond to stop things like this from happening in the future," he said.

In the announcement, Avula thanked residents and businesses for enduring the advisory. "Residents and businesses expect better, and I am as committed as ever to finding the problems and fixing them," he said, adding that the work requires honesty about "what's working and what's not."

Residents and businesses can resume normal use of household and commercial water. Food service establishments affected by the advisory can find guidance on resuming operations on the VDH website. The city said it will share findings from an initial after-action assessment as soon as possible.

The episode is the water treatment plant's third water issue in five months, which has prompted questions about the reliability of the city's water system and when residents can expect consistent service.