Posted Jan. 14, 2025

Pumps operating at the plant continue to produce clean and safe water at a volume of 68 million gallons per day 

Richmond, VA – Richmond’s water treatment plant along the James River is now operating with three main finish water pumps and two auxiliary pumps, after a finish water pump failed overnight.  

Together, these pumps are currently producing 68 million gallons of water daily to serve the City’s distribution network – as well as sending water to Hanover and Henrico counties. That volume is greater than the average water consumption for this time of year. Additionally, the level in the City’s reservoir is at a normal operating height of 17.24 feet as of 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. 

Three primary pumps are in service because one pump at the water treatment plant went offline earlier today. In addition to the three primary pumps and two auxiliary pumps in service at the plant, another auxiliary pump is enroute to support operations and provide system redundancy. A new UPS backup battery system has been successfully installed and tested at the plant.  

The additional personnel (city staff, contractors, and outside experts), resources, and equipment deployed to the water plant heading into last weekend remain on-site. And the new processes and protocols that have been implemented to closely monitor water system function and staff expectations are being followed. 

The City of Richmond and the Department of Public Utilities is continuing to closely monitor this situation and bring in additional resources to support the ongoing function of the water system.