Richmond’s mayor provided an update Jan. 8 on the city’s ongoing water emergency, saying crews increased pumping and filtration and that city officials expect to begin required safety testing once all nine pressure zones reach at least 20 PSI.

The mayor told the Organizational Development Standing Committee that crews increased pumps from two to five and filters from 13 to 15, and that daily flow into the system rose from about 45,000,000 gallons per day earlier in the day to about 69.6 million gallons per day. He said the reservoir elevation had been approximately 7 feet during the 9 a.m. check and later rose above 9 feet after adding another filter, but officials need the reservoir and distribution system to be pressurized across all zones before they can take the first of two required bacteriological samples.

Why it matters: the city cannot lift the boil-water advisory for residents, reopen schools or clear businesses to resume normal operations until it obtains two consecutive negative bacterial tests spaced at least 16 hours apart, the mayor said. City officials urged continued conservation: lower residential use during peak hours will help the system gain net positive volume and reach target pressure sooner.

City communications and operations: Committee members were told the city is posting updates and resource locations on rba.gov and on the city’s Facebook and Instagram pages. The mayor and staff said they were consolidating locations that offer showers and other services for residents; the YMCA and some churches have volunteered facilities and those sites are being posted to the city website.

Testing and risk: A staff speaker briefed the committee that, based on prior incidents and guidance from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the likelihood of bacteriological contamination reaching levels that would produce positive tests is low, but it remains possible. The mayor said officials expect to take the first set of bacteriological samples once all nine zones exceed 20 PSI, and that — if those samples are negative and a second negative sample follows roughly 16 hours later — the city could consider lifting the boil-water advisory, potentially by Friday if conditions and tests are favorable.

Requests from council: Council members asked the administration to publish a consolidated, easily referenced resource for residents — including water distribution sites, shower locations and how to request assistance — and to provide a timeline and a more detailed after-action briefing on the cause and response. Councilmember Robertson asked that the administration provide a review timeline and a skeleton outline of the planned presentation; Vice Chair Jordan suggested the Governmental Operations Committee meeting on Jan. 22 as a possible venue for an update.

Next steps: Administration staff said they would post updated distribution and partner site information to the website within the hour and provide council with a timeline for a fuller administrative presentation after internal follow-up meetings. The committee did not take any formal votes on operational steps during the meeting.

Ending: Committee leadership thanked the mayor, administration staff, utility workers and volunteers for on-the-ground response work and for assistance at distribution and sheltering sites.