Mayor's Office
900 E. Broad St., Suite 201
Richmond, VA
23219 USA
Phone: 804-646-7970
Fax: 804-646-7987
Email: RVAMayor@rva.gov
Water Crisis and Recovery
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The City of Richmond has experienced multiple challenges with our water production in 2025. These events have highlighted the work and investments that need to happen to ensure that everyone living, working, studying, or playing in our city has reliable water. Much of that work requires engineering and technical expertise, but all of it requires a continued commitment to transparency and accountability. Living in a place where water is a public service means that you—the public—need clear information about the water you're using and about the steps water experts are taking to keep it safe.
On this page, you’ll find resources documenting the issues that defined Richmond’s water crisis in 2025. You’ll also see information about the ways City officials are implementing needed and timely improvements to projects, programs, and processes. These changes maintain a high volume of clean water production and ensure that we are planning for the future.
On Jan. 6, 2025, Richmond's Water Treatment Plant experienced a power failure that resulted in loss of water service for residents across the region. A Boil Water Advisory was issued and, after, five days, lifted at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 11, 2025.
- June 13, City Enters into Order of Consent for January Water Event
- June 11, City of Richmond Releases Findings from Incident Response Assessment Following January Winter Storm and Water Crisis
- April 17, New VDH Report Aligns with HNTB After-Action Report
- April 3, City of Richmond Releases Final After-Action Assessment Report on January Water Outage
- March 18, Applications Open for Small Business Recovery Grant Fund
- March 3, City of Richmond Releases Draft After-Action Assessment Report on January Water Outage
- Feb. 27, City of Richmond Announces Small Business Recovery Grant Fund to Support Businesses Impacted by Water Outage
- Feb. 14, City of Richmond Releases Preliminary Report from Independent Investigation of Water Outage
- Feb. 3, City of Richmond expects 100% of Water Recovery Assistance Funds Now Fully Committed to Richmonders in Need
- Jan. 25, Let It Flow: City of Richmond Water Recovery Funds Available Jan. 31
- Jan. 24, Let It Flow: Support local businesses during Water Recovery Week
- Jan. 22, City of Richmond Selects Firm to Conduct Independent After-Action Report of Water Outage
- Jan. 18, Richmond’s Water Plant Functioning as Intended Heading Into the Weekend
- Jan. 15, City of Richmond Announces New Leadership at Department of Public Utilities
- Jan. 14, Update on Pump Operations at City Water Treatment Plant
- Jan. 12, City provides update on weekend water treatment plant operations
- Jan. 10, Boil Water Advisory lifted
- Jan. 9, Water Restoration Updates: System pressurized, water testing underway
- June 12, Order by Consent Issued to the City of Richmond, PWSID No. VA4760100, State Board of Health
- June 6, Water Treatment Plant Q&A, Department of Public Utilities
- June 11, January 2025 Winter Storm Incident Response Assessment and Improvement Plan, Hagerty
- April 16, VDH Comprehensive Waterworks Evaluation and Cost Estimate (transmittal letter, executive summary)
- April 3, HNTB after-action assessment report
- March 3, HNTB draft after-action assessment report
- Feb. 14, HNTB preliminary after-action report
- Jan. 23, Notice of Alleged Violation, Virginia Department of Health
- Jan. 22, After-action contract with HNTB (Exhibit A, Exhibit B)
- Jan. 13, Mayor's water presentation to City Council
- What to expect when water service returns
The City’s After-Action Tracker lists 30 recommended actions to implement following extensive after-action assessment. Of these, 15 actions have been implemented as of June 2025.
On April 23, 2025, Richmond’s Water Treatment Plant experienced an issue during the installation of a new fluoride pump, which led to a temporary increase in the level of fluoride in the water system for a period of five hours. During this period, drinking water produced by the Water Treatment Plan remained safe for consumption.
The City proactively flushed where necessary and monitored the fluoride levels within the entire distribution system to ensure that they returned to below 2.0 mg/L. A full list of corrective actions taken by DPU can be found on pg. 6 of the Virginia Department of Health’s Notice of Alleged Violation.
On May 27, 2025, Richmond’s Water Treatment Plant experienced the clogging of filters, which reduced the water system’s production levels. Residents were asked to conserve water, and a localized Boil Water Advisory was issued for parts of the city. The Boil Water Advisory was lifted at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 29.
Full list to come. Pending; updates will be added to this page.
