RICHMOND, Va. — Four sewage leaks into the James River from a pipe along the Pipeline Trail last summer happened, in part, because bypass pumps meant to move sewage around the broken pipe failed because they were filled with the wrong type of fuel.
The former head of the Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU), April Bingham, received a Notice of Violation on Sept. 18 of last year from the Virginia DEQ related to multiple sewage leaks in July of 2024 from a pipe over the James River along the pipeline trail.
"The Notice of Violation (NOV) that DEQ issued to the City of Richmond alleges that the City violated the State Water Control Law," said Irina Calos, Communications Team Lead for DEQ. "This enforcement case will be resolved through a consent-based process, which includes factfinding, discussions with the responsible party, and a negotiated resolution that may include civil penalties and plans to return to compliance, if the responsible party has not returned to compliance."
The leaks forced Patrick Griffin with RVA Paddlesports to push back a big kayak event.
“I think the rest of the city and the region is kind of feeling our pains that we felt in the summer with the pipeline leak,” Griffin said.
CBS 6 reported on one of those leaks on July 16 because it caused the Virginia Department of Health to issue a recreational water advisory due to elevated levels of E. coli in the water.
WATCH: Broken pipe leaking sewage into James River is being repaired; why permanent solutions could be a 'challenge' (July 16, 2024)
At the time, the city blamed the leak on failed bypass pumps, but the Notice of Violation obtained by CBS 6 states that happened, in part, because the pumps were filled with an incorrect fuel type which caused them to shut down.
Additionally, those pumps were intended to be temporary but had been in place for three years.
The DEQ also found the city failed to promptly notify them that sewage was leaking out of the pipe.
The DEQ states that it received a notification from the DPU on July 2 about a potential sewage leak, but the city did not confirm it was sewage until July 22.
But, by that time, the DEQ had already visited the site itself and VDH had issued the water advisory.
Calos said a DEQ employee riding their bike to work happened to notice the sewage leak on July 16.
Later on July 22, the city reported a new sewage leak from the same pipe, and then it happened again five days later.
The DEQ said its investigation is ongoing.
We also asked the city for their response to the notice and if they have fixed the problems that were found by DEQ, and we are waiting for a response.
We found that the Pipeline Trail is reopened, and the pipe has yellow bands wrapped around it that seem to be holding something around the pipe.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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