Interim wastewater director details staffing, maintenance shortfalls and DEQ inspection findings; council votes to discuss legal/personnel matters in closed

Mister Crocker, the interim director assigned to the Hopewell wastewater treatment facility, provided a roughly 15‑minute operational status report to City Council describing chronic staffing shortages, equipment failures and a weak preventive maintenance program that he said create short‑ and long‑term regulatory risk.

Crocker said the plant currently is “within limits” of its permit but warned that “a lack of operations maintenance and replacement will create hurdles, to future compliance and potential legal challenges down the road.” He cited recurring pump station overflows and listed multiple pieces of equipment identified as inoperable during the most recent compliance inspection.

Why it matters: Councilors pressed for immediate clarity on capital projects, spare parts, staffing and a response to a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) compliance inspection. After the discussion the council voted to move related legal and personnel matters about the wastewater system into closed session under Virginia law.

Crocker told the council the plant has 57 approved full‑time positions but several vacancies: "There are 3 management vacancies at the top of the org chart, 5 operation maintenance and lab vacancies," he said. He described operator…