Henrico teen launches statewide water quality, lead pipe risk tool
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The risk score given to Sabrina when she inputted her address. Screenshot: Courtesy of AquaRisk
The water crisis that disrupted daily life across Richmond and Henrico also produced an unlikely legacy: a free public tool built by a teenager who lived through it.
Why it matters: AquaRisk, created by rising Tucker High School senior Avyay Bharadwaj, lets about 83% of Virginians check potential water contaminants and lead service line risks at their address — and offers steps to reduce exposure.
State of play: The tool, which went live Friday, has been in the works for about two years, with Bharadwaj collecting public water data, organizing it into spreadsheets and building the site.
- But the catalyst to finishing it came after the January 2025 crisis forced his family to boil water to brush their teeth, Bharadwaj told Axios.
- He later worked with Henrico's Department of Public Utilities as an engineering intern focused on the county's water system and now studies water filtration as a VCU research assistant.
The latest: The tool is getting a boost from local health officials and nonprofits.
- Bharadwaj told Axios on Monday that Richmond and Henrico's Health Districts plan to post QR codes linking to AquaRisk at their six active resource centers.
- Affordable housing nonprofit project:HOMES told Bharadwaj they'll share the tool in upcoming newsletters.
How it works: Enter an address and AquaRisk generates a risk score based on when the house was built, its service line material (lead pipes were common in pre-1940 homes) and the top contaminants associated with the local water system.
- It compares contaminants with the Environmental Working Group's guidelines, which can be stricter than federal drinking water standards.
- That means AquaRisk can flag contaminants even when they're within federal limits.
- The tool also recommends steps to reduce potential risks, from using an activated carbon block filter to applying for lead pipe replacement.
By the numbers: AquaRisk flags nine contaminants in Richmond above EWG's benchmarks (some 475x higher) and four in Henrico (up to 152x higher).
- All are within federal limits, per the app.
Caveat: Richmond doesn't know the material of every water service line, meaning AquaRisk can't give every address a pipe-risk assessment.
- Bharadwaj told Axios he avoids filling those gaps with estimates when he can't find reliable data, saying "I don't want to spread misinformation."
The intrigue: Richmond is under a federal mandate to identify and replace its lead service lines by 2035.
The other side: City spokesperson Rhonda Johnson told Axios that AquaRisk should be evaluated by the EPA or VDH "to avoid confusion on standards and the level of protection within any water system."
- Johnson instead directed residents to the city's annual water quality report.
- Henrico didn't respond to Axios' request for comment.
The bottom line: "My goal is to make this as widespread as possible," Bharadwaj said. "So people can really understand what they're putting into their body."