Boil water advisory lifted in Richmond

Six days after a series of events triggered by a power outage crippled the city’s water treatment plant, a boil water advisory has been lifted and the public water supply is safe to drink, Mayor Danny Avula said at 11:31 a.m. Saturday.

“We have reached our goal, Richmond,” Avula wrote in an email. “After an incredible amount of work by so many dedicated public servants — as well as regional, state, and federal partners — we have received the news we’ve been waiting for: With two rounds of clean test results, we have verified that our water is clean and safe for people to drink. Accordingly, I am pleased to announce the end of the boil water advisory. I also want to sincerely thank Richmonders for their patience and understanding throughout this challenging time.”

The lifting of the advisory was the result of the city successfully passing its second round of water tests assessing the presence of harmful contaminants in the drinking water.

The city recommends running faucets for 10 minutes, with both hot and cold taps open, before consuming.

The boil water advisories have also been lifted in all neighboring jurisdictions. Hanover, Henrico and Goochland are no longer under advisories either.

Richmond Mayor Danny Avula ceremonially drinks a glass of tap water while announcing the boil water advisory has been lifted. (City of Richmond video)

Richmond officials announced the city had passed the first round of tests at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Virginia Department of Health rules required that a second round be conducted 16 hours after the first in order to end the advisory.

Richmond first imposed the advisory at 4:30 p.m. Monday. In press conferences, Avula has emphasized that the move was a precautionary measure that was taken because water pressure in the city’s system dropped below VDH’s allowable threshold of 20 psi and not because there was additional evidence that the increasingly scarce water flowing out of the treatment plant was contaminated.

Testing of the supply, however, could not begin until the overall system pressure had been brought back up to 20 psi. That occurred around 11 a.m. Thursday, and officials began the first sampling for the water tests at 3 p.m. the same day.

Schools are expected to reopen on Monday after being closed all week due to both a lack of drinkable water and 10 schools whose heat is provided by water boilers.

On Friday, Richmond Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Dana Fox said "all of the boilers are up and running," and all 10 of the schools in question have heat.

Other water crisis coverage from The Richmonder: