Richmond area should have water again but boil advisories still in effect

• The city's reservoir is full and all nine of the city's water zones are pressurized, which means the portions of Henrico and Hanover counties that didn't have water should be back, too.
• This means the health department is starting its first water sample testing for bacteria.
• It'll be tested again in 16 hours and if both are negative, the boil water advisories for Richmond, Henrico and parts of Hanover and Goochland should lift by Saturday morning.

The big picture: Most Richmonders had been without running water for more than two days, while residents in parts of Henrico and Hanover had been without service for around 24 hours as of Wednesday afternoon.

• Restoring the water to the point people can shower or flush their toilets has taken longer than first expected in all localities — and none were back to full service by Wednesday night.
• Some residents might be able to flush and shower again Thursday morning, albeit to varying degrees of water pressure.

The win: Some water pressure is better than none at all.

Yes, but: Avula suggested in a 4pm press conference Wednesday that consumption of water from residents who have it could set back the ability to get it to those who don't, so conservation is critical.

• Residents not using water overnight could be what helps the reservoir fill up enough to get Richmonders closer to normal water pressure Thursday, Avula said.
• Around 8am Thursday, city officials announced that the reservoir's water levels had jumped from nine feet to 17 overnight.
• The goal was 10. It's usually at 18.

Important: The water likely won't be confirmed drinkable until Friday at the earliest. Here's how to safely use water under a boil water advisory.

Meanwhile, in another press briefing moments earlier Wednesday, Henrico County manager John Vithoulkas said the entire county is now under a boil water advisory, even parts of the county that never lost water service.

• That boil advisory extended to the eastern part of Goochland Wednesday night.

Zoom in: Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, crews were able to restore service to around 6,000 Henrico residents and businesses in the eastern part of the county, but thousands remain without running water.

• Because officials can't distinguish which parts may have had no service or low water pressure, all of Henrico should boil water until further notice.
• Work is ongoing to bring water service back online for the rest of Henrico, but officials haven't offered a timeline for restoration yet.

Of note: Eastern Henrico and parts of Hanover rely on Richmond water service for their own, as they have throughout the week, so issues there are directly tied to Richmond's restoration.

Catch up quick on Richmond

There was brief hope of the water being back early Wednesday when 13 of the city water plant's 20 filters were in operation, plus two of eight pumps.

• It was a significant improvement in water production from Tuesday, Mayor Avula said.
• But then most residents, including in the Fan, Museum District and Northside, still had no water flowing at all, while other parts of town were experiencing low water pressure.

Flashback: As of Wednesday night, 15 filters and five pumps were working and over 66 million gallons of water per day was flowing at the facility, per Avula.

• But the reservoir's water levels still weren't high enough at the time yet, said Avula — whose Church Hill home is also without water.

• The ongoing emergency led City Council to declare plans to approve Avula's declaration of a local state of emergency in a Wednesday meeting.

Why the water isn't drinkable yet: Friday is the soonest the city's boil water advisory could be lifted if the state health department doesn't find bacteria in the water and nothing else goes wrong.

• Testing begins once all nine zones are back online. As of Thursday morning, eight already were.

Yes, but: The National Guard, and truckloads of water, were en route to Richmond, Avula said. Bottled water distribution sites will be open Thursday from 10:30am-2pm at:

• Broad Rock Library (4820 Old Warwick Road)
• West End Library (5420 Patterson Ave.)
• Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 Belt Boulevard)
• Bellemeade Community Center (1800 Lynhaven Ave.)
• Midtown Green (2401 W. Leigh St.)
• Pine Camp Community Center (4901 Old Brook Road)
• Randolph Community Center (1415 Grayland Ave.)
• Westover Hills Community Center (1301 Jahnke Road)
• East End District Initiative (701 N. 25th St.)
• Southside Plaza (4100 Hull Street Road)
• Annie Marie Giles Community Center (1400 Oliver Hill Way)

Catch up quick on Henrico, Hanover

Portions of Henrico and Hanover didn't have water on Wednesday. In a Wednesday morning update, Henrico said it restored "some service" west of Mechanicsville Turnpike and work was ongoing for the rest of the county.

• Henrico's water stations are open around the clock with tanker trucks at the Henrico Government Center (3820 Nine Mile Rd.) and bottled water available at the Mental Health East facility (3908 Nine Mile Road).
• Henrico residents can shower at six area YMCAs, the county said.

In Hanover, bottled water is available from noon-7pm at:

• Cold Harbor Elementary School (6740 Cold Harbor Road)
• Atlee High's football field parking lot (9414 Atlee Station Road)
• Or from potable water tanks at the Hanover County Government Complex and Bass Pro Shops.

Go deeper:

• Richmond's under a boil water advisory, and some residents don't have water at all
• Henrico declares state of emergency amid water issues stemming from Richmond
• Water is trickling back in Richmond, boil advisory still in effect

This is a breaking story and has been updated.