Virginia’s capital is under a boil-water advisory after more water treatment operations issues

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Officials issued a boil-water advisory Tuesday in parts of Virginia’s capital city, leaving many residents without drinkable tap water following an operational issue at the city’s water treatment plant for the second time this year.

Richmond officials said that the city’s water treatment plant experienced an operational hiccup as poorer-quality water flowed through the facility and clogged the plant’s filters. In the morning, the water system had been restored to full production, but reclogged roughly an hour later.

Large swaths of the city, spanning Richmond’s west end to downtown by the Capitol, and its northern neighborhoods, were under the advisory. In a news release, officials said all residents were asked to conserve water. At a news conference Tuesday officials said it would be more than a day before the advisory could be lifted.

The boil-water advisory follows a nearly week-long period in January when approximately 230,000 Richmond residents were without drinkable tap water after a power failure caused a malfunction at the water treatment facility.

In April, the Virginia Department of Health released a report saying the crisis was avoidable, pointing to city officials’ poor emergency planning and faulty maintenance practices.

Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said he would determine the acute cause of the clogging.

“There’s ongoing work that needs to be done,” Avula said, adding, “And so after we get out of this recovery phase, then our eyes will turn towards what’s the prevention-focused work that we need to be doing to ensure that this doesn’t happen.”