Richmond expands boil water advisory — here's when it might end
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A view of the James River and the Richmond skyline. Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Richmond issued a boil water advisory Tuesday morning for nearly all areas north of the James River, including the Fan, Museum District, VCU's Monroe Park campus and VCU Health, Scott's Addition, Jackson Ward and parts of downtown.
- Then it expanded the advisory to parts of South Richmond just before 6pm. The new area covers Manchester down to the Commerce Road Industrial Area near the Chesterfield County line.
Why it matters: Earlier Tuesday, the city told residents the water was safe to drink following yet another issue at the water treatment plant.
The latest: The earliest the advisory could be lifted is midday Thursday, Mayor Avula said in a Tuesday night briefing.
- The water is back at full pressure and the first water sample to check if it's safe to drink is underway. A second water sample will likely be pulled around noon Wednesday, Avula said.
- Both samples have to sit for 24 hours to see if bacteria grows and be negative for the water to be deemed drinkable again.
Driving the news: Richmonders in multiple parts of the city began experiencing low water pressure Tuesday morning after the plant's filters clogged due to unusually dirty or cloudy water.
- City officials initially said at 9am that the issue, which led to a temporary reduction in clean water production, had been resolved and wouldn't require a boil water advisory.
- But people were still reporting low water pressure in Scott's Addition, The Fan, Museum District, Jackson Ward and Northside after the announcement.
- Then the city alerted around 11:30am that those areas — and others served by the impacted Ginter Park Tank — should boil their water until further notice before consuming it.
How it works: That means don't use ice or unboiled tap water for making drinks, cooking, washing dishes or brushing your teeth. More tips here.
State of play: Gov. Youngkin says the state is "actively investigating the current water quality issue" in Richmond and "ensuring that precautions are in place to protect public health."
- And city officials say, "The list of impacted residents may also expand as water usage continues," which is why they're asking all residents to conserve water, eliminate or shorten showers and avoid unnecessary toilet flushes.
- At least 21 schools are within the boil water advisory zone, but Richmond Public Schools will remain open this week.
Zoom out: More than two dozen Richmond restaurants, however, closed for the day, adjusted hours or switched to takeout-only due to the water issues on Tuesday, including:
- Minglewood Bake Shop, Can Can, Garnett's, Sugar & Twine, The Veil in Scott's Addition, Boulevard Burger & Brew, The Smoky Mug, 3 Monkeys, Cobra Cabana, Lucky AF, L'opossum, Helen's, Slay Burger and TBT El Gallo.
- At Garnett's, its operational shift was how some locals learned about the advisory, per the comments on the cafe's Instagram announcement.
Meanwhile, grocery stores in Carytown were chaotic as residents loaded up on water. Shelves with water cases were largely empty by Tuesday afternoon.
What's next: Richmond officials said Tuesday afternoon that they don't know why a sediment spike clogged up the filters.
- Mayor Avula plans to "take a hard look at what happened and identify any future improvements needed."
- The city will post new information on its social media pages and rva.gov.
Sign up for the city's Richmond Ready Alerts and learn more about them here.
Karri Peifer contributed to this report
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.