Mayor Aboula told the Organizational Development Standing Committee of the Richmond City Council that crews have increased the number of pumps and filters working on the municipal water system as the city continues efforts to restore system pressure and begin bacteriological testing to lift the boil‑water advisory.

"The key message to the public though is it continues to be one of conservation," Mayor Aboula said, describing the operations and testing plan. He said crews increased pumps from two to five and filters from 13 to 15 and raised treatment throughput from about 45,000,000 gallons per day to roughly 69.6 million gallons per day.

The mayor said reservoir levels have been slow to rise — roughly 7 feet at the time of his update — and that the system must be pressurized in all nine zones before testing can begin. "We need to get up above 10 feet," he said, and officials must reach a minimum of 20 pounds per square inch (psi) in every zone before taking the first bacteriological sample. The city requires two samples, taken 16 hours apart, that are negative for bacterial contamination to lift the boiled‑water advisory.

Officials cautioned that, even as treatment capacity increases, residential usage affects net gains. Aboula said late‑evening reductions in consumption should help increase reservoir levels and pressure. He said that if pressurization and samples proceed as hoped, officials were aiming for the possibility of lifting the advisory by Friday, pending two consecutive negative samples.

Council members pressed for additional detail and for a formal timeline of the administration's review and follow‑up plan. Council Member Robertson asked the administration to provide "a timeline of their review and analysis and their plan of action" and, if necessary, to schedule a special meeting to present a detailed report to the council and public.

City staff and the mayor also said information about distribution sites and support services is being posted online. The administration said current postings are on rva.gov and on the city's Facebook and Instagram accounts; officials also referenced the 311/rva.gov information channel. The mayor said partner organizations such as the YMCA and several churches were offering showers and other services and that the city would consolidate and post those resources.

In a later update cited by the administration, April Bingham at Utilities reported the reservoir level had exceeded 9 feet after adding another filter, which the mayor described as "good progress." Mayor Aboula and staff reiterated that conservation remained the principal public action requested until testing confirms water safety.

The committee did not take a formal vote. Discussion centered on operational status, public communications and requests for a timeline and follow‑up presentation from administration staff. Council members suggested that the Governmental Operations Committee meeting on Jan. 22 could be used for a formal timeline update if administration staff can meet that schedule.

The city earlier cited Code of Virginia § 2.2‑3708.2 in explaining the electronic meeting procedure used for the committee session. Officials said they would notify the public when testing is complete and when schools and businesses can safely resume normal operations.

Ending: City officials said testing and final decisions hinge on achieving full pressurization in all zones and receiving two negative bacteriological samples spaced 16 hours apart. The administration asked residents to conserve water while it completes system pressurization and testing, and promised further updates via rva.gov and the city's social channels.