RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin released Wednesday the final report from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) on the January 2025 water crisis in the City of Richmond and announced a second notice of violation against the city that requires the implementation of a Corrective Action Plan. 

“The disruption of a safe and reliable water supply in Richmond this past January never should have happened,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Moving forward, it should never happen again, and I’ve directed the Department of Health to ensure Richmond takes all corrective actions necessary to achieve that objective. The people of Richmond and the surrounding counties persevered through this preventable crisis, and now it’s time for city leaders to step up for their citizens.” 

“An entire region including businesses, restaurants, schools, and the most vulnerable citizens in Richmond lost a basic human need due to both ongoing systemic challenges as well as ‘day of’ system issues,” stated Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet V. Kelly. “We hope that the City of Richmond continues to address both the long-term and immediate components of this crisis.”   

Our public water systems are our primary source of safe drinking water. Given the essential role that water plays in our daily lives, it is critical that stronger preventative measures be in place.  

The investigation, conducted by VDH’s Office of Drinking Water (ODW) and engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH), identified significant operational, procedural, and infrastructure failures that contributed to several days without reliable water service. 

Key Findings 

• “Completely Avoidable” The operational, procedural and infrastructure failures at the City of Richmond Water Treatment Plant (WTP) were “completely avoidable.” 
• Single Point of Failure: Operating in a so-called “winter mode” meant relying solely on overhead main power, eliminating critical redundancy. 
• Poor Maintenance: Critical backup systems, including backup batteries, were not properly maintained despite known flood risks. 
• Overreliance on Manual Processes: Ineffective emergency plans and manual procedures hampered the WTP’s response when power was lost. 

“VDH’s investigation found this crisis could have been prevented with better operational decisions,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton. “Our goal now is to ensure corrective actions are taken swiftly and effectively, so Richmond-area families can trust their water supply.” 

Moving forward, VDH will coordinate with City officials to develop and implement a corrective action plan, addressing these deficiencies and preventing future outages. 

View Commissioner Shelton’s letter to Governor Youngkin and Mayor Avula here.

View the Executive Summary here.

View the full report here.