Henrico declares state of emergency amid water issues stemming from Richmond

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Henrico county manager John Vithoulkas at a press confrence Tuesday. Image: Screenshot

Henrico is under a state of emergency as the eastern portion of the county is experiencing low or no water pressure, county manager John Vithoulkas said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Why it matters: The declaration allows the county to access additional resources to quickly deliver water to residents, Vithoulkas said.

The big picture: Portions of central and eastern Henrico, which usually use Richmond’s city water, started seeing low or no water pressure around Monday afternoon as it switched off the city’s water supply and onto its own, Vithoulkas said.

A water main break in Highland Springs late Monday evening exacerbated the issue and caused the eastern part of the county, including the airport, to lose all water access. For some, low pressure extended into Tuesday.
Affected county residents should see useable water pressure back by this afternoon and two stations with tanker trucks offering potable water are now set up in Henrico for residents’ use.
Bottled water distribution will also be set up in the coming hours.
Residents do not need to boil water and it is fully safe to drink, Vithoulkas said.

Yes, but: The city’s delay in notifying its county partners about issues at its own water reservoir drove Henrico’s initial low-pressure issue around Willow Lawn and Libbie Mill, he said.

“There could’ve been better communication with the notification that we received from the city of Richmond,” Vithoulkas said. “It took a number of hours to get that information and we were not able to fill our system as much as we would’ve liked to.”

What’s next: Henrico’s water stations with tanker trucks are at the Henrico Government Center (3820 Nine Mile Road) and Mental Health East facility (3908 Nine Mile Road).

The county is in the process of setting up a dedicated line for residents’ water-related questions or issues: (804) 501-4275, Option 2. The line should be up by 1pm.
Free bottled water will be available at Henrico’s Northern and Eastern libraries: North Park, Fairfield, Sandston and Varina.

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