This article is from Tuesday, May 27. Find the latest updates on the boil water advisory here.
RICHMOND, Va. — Multiple Richmond neighborhoods are under a boil water advisory after the city's water treatment plant experienced an operational issue early Tuesday that temporarily reduced water production, according to city officials.
In a Tuesday night press conference, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said the first of two sets of water samples necessary to lift the boil water advisory had been taken. The next samples will be taken within 16 to 24 hours.
He added that, at this point, the earliest the advisory could be lifted is mid-day on Thursday, May 29.
Which areas are under a boil water advisory?
While the city's initial communication about the situation at 9 a.m. on Tuesday said the water was safe and a boil water advisory was not needed, an update sent at 11:30 a.m. issued an immediate boil water advisory for communities served by the Ginter Park Tank, which include:
- Byrd Park
- Brookland Park
- Carver
- Carytown
- Chamberlayne
- The Fan
- Ginter Park
- Jackson Ward
- Laburnum Park
- the Museum District
- the North Side
- Oregon Hill
- Randolph
- Scott’s Addition
- VCU’s Monroe Park campus
- Parts of the city center
The boil water advisory was expanded to include the following areas as of 5:52 p.m. Tuesday:
- Ancarrow's Landing
- Bellemeade
- Blackwell
- Commerce Road Industrial Area
- Hillside Court
- Davee Gardens
- Manchester
- Oak Grove
- Windsor
The city added that Windsor Farms was incorrectly included in a prior announcement.
Click here to view a searchable map of the impacted area.
"Some customers in these areas may experience a total loss of water service, while others may experience varying degrees of loss in water pressure," an announcement from the City reads. "Impacted residents are encouraged to take conservation steps immediately, and boil water before consuming it. The list of impacted residents may continue to expand as water usage continues."
Local News
When can Richmond stop boiling water? Here's what the mayor said.
Will Richmond schools be open on Wednesday, May 28?
According to a Richmond Public Schools spokesperson, Superintendent Jason Kamras said the district plans to have schools open on Wednesday and will send email updates to families.
Henrico County
"Henrico has temporarily disconnected from the city of Richmond’s water distribution system and continues to monitor the county’s system after clogged filters overnight caused the city to suspend operations at its water treatment plant.
While Richmond has issued a boil water advisory for some of its customers, Henrico is not under a boil water advisory at this time. Henrico’s water remains safe for consumption and use. As of 7:30 a.m., the county’s Department of Public Utilities had closed valves at connections to the city’s system, which serves portions of central and eastern Henrico. Henrico’s water tanks, which had been kept at capacity, are supplying customers who typically are served by the city. Water pressure remains normal countywide. Public Utilities also continues to test water samples throughout the system. In addition, Henrico is working closely with Hanover County, which also has been impacted.
Henrico officials became aware of the issues at Richmond’s water treatment plant at approximately 12:27 a.m. Tuesday, when the city’s plant superintendent reported to Henrico Public Utilities that a majority of the city’s filters had been clogged by excessive sediment in the James River. At the city’s request, Henrico Public Utilities reduced the amount of water that it was drawing from the city’s system. Henrico has staff onsite at the city’s water treatment plant and will provide resources as needed to navigate the situation.
As this is an ongoing situation, Henrico will provide updates at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m."
Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County has reported no impact on its water supply.
"At approximately 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday May 27, 2025, Chesterfield Utilities received a call from the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) indicating its personnel were having treatment challenges at their water treatment plant. To assist the city with reducing water demands while they resolve the issue, Richmond DPU requested Chesterfield reduce or stop taking water from the city. By 2 a.m., Chesterfield Utilities operations staff stopped taking water from the three points of entry from the City of Richmond and transitioned its customers to other water sources. Chesterfield’s water remains safe to consume, and its water distribution system has continued to operate as designed through this incident," a Chesterfield County spokesperson said.
Hanover County
"Hanover County is not under a boil water advisory at this time," a county spokesperson posted on social media. "Water pressure from Richmond to Hanover is safely above the 20 psi threshold that would require a boil advisory. As a precaution, we are asking residents to conserve water until further notice by turning off automatic irrigation systems. We are working closely with the Virginia Department of Health and our regional partners to monitor the situation at Richmond’s water plant."
Below is a checklist for safe water use during this time:
- Do not drink tap water during this boil water alert.
- Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities.
- Do not use ice made from water today. Discard the ice and sanitize the ice machine and/or ice trays.
- Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.
- Do not wash your dishes using tap water – use boiled water or use paper plates.
- Do not wash your fruits and vegetables with tap water – use boiled or bottled water.
- Do not brush your teeth with tap water -- use boiled or bottled water.
- Do not cook with tap water, unless your food will be boiled vigorously for three minutes.
Temporary water conservation tips:
- Eliminate or shorten shower times.
- Avoid unnecessary toilet flushes.
- Avoid washing clothes for as long as possible.
- Postpone washing dishes if possible.
- Check all faucets, shower heads and under cabinets for drips.
What Happened?
Earlier Tuesday, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula's office said, "due to high turbidity in the system, some of the plant’s filters clogged, temporarily reducing finished water production."
That statement also said, "Despite the reduction, the plant continued to produce enough water to maintain safe system pressure levels — above the threshold that would have required a boil water advisory."
"DPU and the city considered issuing a localized boil advisory, but, after a thorough assessment, it was determined that no advisory was necessary," the 9 a.m. statement continued.
The city has not yet said what changed between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
City officials said they contacted the Virginia Department of Health and the counties shortly after midnight and throughout the morning as they managed the situation.
Years-long issues with the Richmond water treatment plant came to a head in January 2025 when a power outage left the city and some surrounding counties without clean water for days.
The Richmond water crisis led to both leadership and procedural changes within the city's Department of Public Utilities.
"I'll take a hard look at what happened and identify any future improvements needed," Avula continued.
The Department of Public Utilities will investigate what caused the latest incident.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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