One year after backup power systems at the city of Richmond, Virginia's water treatment plant failed to switch on following a winter storm and left residents without water for days, city officials recently showcased plant repairs and new protocols, and highlighted ongoing efforts to keep the region’s largest municipal water system flowing smoothly.
Addressing reporters at the plant, Mayor Danny Avula says last year’s water crisis — which unfolded just a few days into his term — sparked his administration’s wholesale attempt to dismantle a culture of complacency and manage deferred maintenance.
Roughly $7 million has been spent on immediate fixes to water pumps, the switch gear and other repairs to make the plant less vulnerable to problems, Avula says. About $1.4 billion will need to be invested into water system upgrades over the next ten years, according to the city’s long-term plan.
In an Oct. 8 letter, Avula requested $80 million over two years in the state budget. The money would have been used to help strengthen the water plant’s infrastructure, which serves over 500,000 people across Richmond, Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield counties. However, Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not include the funding in his final budget proposal that he presented to lawmakers last month.
“But the reality is we are an old city, we are the capital city,” Avula says. “There are more needs and so our job is to continue helping our state representatives understand that, and showing them that we’re going to be good stewards of that money when they give it to us.”
If the state does not provide the funding, that cost will be passed on to rate payers to ensure the improvements are made. The city has not stated how much residents’ water bills would increase if the state does not come through with the funding. Still, there are a number of projects that are critical to the longevity of the plant that will be prioritized with or without state funding, officials say.
“When we start talking about not getting the funding and getting funding, it’s going to be a very difficult conversation about prioritization of which projects come to fruition sooner versus later,” says Richmond Department of Utilities Director Scott Morris. “It’s basically picking which part of your broken car you want to replace first.”
As part of the improvements following the crisis, Richmond has been working with the surrounding municipalities that rely on the water system to improve communication. There has also been a change in management and additional engineers added to the staff to help prevent last year’s mistakes being repeated.
Avula says the city’s conversations with Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s administration about the funding are ongoing.
Source: Virginia Mercury
