Richmond City Council heard updates on water restoration and relief resources during a council meeting.

City administration said it has posted water distribution locations and related resources on rva.gov and on the city’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. “We are posting everything on rva.gov and putting it out on our city, Facebook and Instagram. We have updated location sites for our water distribution on the website,” said Sabrina, a city administration representative. She added that the city was consolidating other community resources and would post them on the website as well.

Sabrina told the council that partner organizations have offered facilities for residents: “The YMCA has come alongside as a partner to offer their space to residents who may need a shower, and we’ve had some churches do the same. So we’re consolidating those, and we’ll post those on-site as well.” When a councilmember asked for confirmation, Sabrina said the items were already posted and pledged to ensure any missing items would be uploaded within the hour.

Council Member Robertson thanked the administration for its response and asked for a timeline and a detailed report on the review and action plan for restoring safe water. “My request … is that as soon as possible that the administration provide us with a timeline of their review and analysis and their plan of action as it relates to moving forward,” Robertson said, and added that council might hold a special meeting to receive that report.

City staff indicated there is follow-up work planned to provide that timeline. City administration representative Willoughby said a follow-up meeting is scheduled and that the city would provide a timeline after that meeting. Vice Chair Jordan suggested the Governmental Operations Committee meeting on January 22 as a possible venue for an update.

Utilities staff provided an operational update during the same exchange. Sabrina relayed a message from April Bingham at utilities that the utilities team had added another filter and that the reservoir level was now “up above 9 feet,” signaling progress in system recovery.

The council’s discussion focused on transparency and getting a clear schedule to share with residents. No formal vote or ordinance was taken on this topic during the meeting. The meeting adjourned after the agenda items were completed.