Richmond took 4 days to tell counties of fluoride spike in water supply
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The James River. Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Richmond's surrounding counties are annoyed with the city for not telling them quickly enough about a water event — again.
Why it matters: The issue was a fluoride spike in the local water supply, and city officials didn't tell Richmonders or the counties about it for nearly five days.
State of play: Last Wednesday, employees at Richmond's water plant had issues installing a new fluoride pump, leading to excess fluoride accidentally being pumped into the drinking water for about five hours, per a city release.
- City levels were four times higher than the optimal target of 0.7 milligrams per liter during that period, but the water was safe to drink and below the maximum allowable limit set by federal standards, Richmond officials say.
- Because Hanover, Henrico and Chesterfield share the city's water supply, the counties also had increased fluoride levels last week.
Zoom out: The counties didn't find out about the issue until late Sunday night, per Monday afternoon statements.
- Henrico slammed the "repeated operational failures and communications breakdowns" from the city's water plant, and Hanover said it was "disappointed by the lack of timely communication."
- And on Tuesday, Chesterfield said it had found (via water samples) that Friday's fluoride levels neared the max federal limit of 4.0 milligrams per liter. The levels have since returned to normal.
Between the lines: Richmond also didn't alert the Virginia Department of Health within the required 24-hour window, which will be reduced to two hours on July 1, per a new Virginia law.
- Dwayne Roadcap, VDH's drinking water director, told reporters earlier this month that had Richmond contacted them about the January water crisis within two hours, people could have had more time to prepare for the loss of water.
What they're saying: Mayor Danny Avula apologized in a city release that came hours after the counties' statements, saying "this incident damages the work we're doing to rebuild trust."
- "We must do better."
What we're watching: Henrico and Hanover are calling for a regional water authority to strengthen oversight of the water supply, but establishing one would require approval from the state Legislature.