Water Crisis and Recovery

Quick Links

January Water Outage

After-Action Tracker

April Fluoride Levels

FOIA Reading Room

May Clogged Filters

Regional Collaboration

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.

January Water Outage and Boil Water Advisory

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 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.

April Fluoride Increased Levels

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.

June 6, Water Treatment Plant Q&A, Department of Public Utilities

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.

May Clogged Filters and Localized Boil Water Advisory

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.

June 6, Water Treatment Plant Q&A, Department of Public Utilities
May 27, Boil Water Advisory map

Full list to come. Pending; updates will be added to this page.

Regional Collaboration

Recovering from Richmond’s water challenges and meeting the water needs of our growing region require three major things:

Immediate action, which you can follow on the After-action Tracker.

Long-term planning, as outlined in Department of Public Utilities Director Scott Morris’s 6/2/25 presentation to City Council.

Collaborative exploration of potential new regional solutions.

Richmond’s water system provides water to Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover counties through wholesale contracts and indirectly provides water to Goochland and Powhatan counties, as well as the Town of Ashland. As we invest in upgrading our 100-year-old water system, we have an opportunity to expand on meaningful regional conversations about what it would take to accelerate those efforts—and to ensure we deliver clean drinking water to residents in our area another hundred years from now.

Effective regional collaboration in other areas like transit and sheltering shows what’s possible when we work and plan together. This section contains news and documents that highlight how we’re imagining the future of our regional water system.