HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico Board of Supervisor Chair Tyrone Nelson praised the community for coming together during the Richmond Water Crisis that contributed to eastern Henrico losing water service for days and the entire county being put under a boil water advisory.
On Monday, Henrico originally said there was no need for a boil water advisory because Henrico was “able to proactively disconnect from Richmond’s water supply system.” However, Wednesday afternoon the county retracted that statement and put the entire county under a boil water advisory.
They did so after in consultation with VDH because water was being restored to lines that were shut off.
Nelson said in the coming days, the county would evaluate its response at all levels and investigate changes that need to be made moving forward.
Henrico Residents Voice Concerns
Some Henrico residents who shared their voices with CBS 6 said they wished Henrico leaders offered more frequent updates about the water crisis.
Others felt county leaders were not as forthcoming as they could have been as the water situation devolved.
"A little more notice and let everybody know what was going on," one Henrico resident shared.
"I don’t feel like they told the whole story, you know, I think they kind of padded it a little bit to make it sound a little bit better than what it was," another added.
"I keep returning to the comments made by the County Manager [John Vithoulkas]," CBS 6 viewer Sharon Spiller wrote to the station. "It is the nature of public officials to accentuate the positive, but to react in such a dismissive manner to a legitimate inquiry is disingenuous at best."
She was referring to a moment during a televised press conference in which CBS 6 reporter Maggi Marshall shared with Vithoulkas concerns the station had received about Henrico's handling of the situation.
"There are many people questioning and uncertain how something so small could have caused something big like this," Marshall said during the press conference.
"There are always going to be naysayers that go on social media and post," Vithoulkas replied. "But what I have seen is the goodness of our region and I hope that transcends to other issues."
Henrico Manager on social media 'naysayers'
When asked about the concerns of Henrico citizens, Board Chair Nelson said it was fair for them to ask questions of their elected and appointed leaders.
"Questions are good. There's nothing wrong with questions. I like questions. Questions motivate us and challenge us to give answers," Nelson said. "A lot of people learned a lot of stuff this week. Questions are good. I'm glad that the citizens are asking questions, and if we can't answer them now, we will, and that's our commitment."
Nelson said he felt the county was transparent as it could be during the fluid situation.
However, he said Henrico would review how it handled the situation and the protocols that occurred leading up to the crisis.
"Richmond is considering bringing in an outside firm to get to the bottom of where things kind of got challenging, is that something that you would consider talking to your colleagues about," Maggi asked Nelson.
"I think we've already had some conversation, so I don't want to say exactly what we're going to do right now. I just know again, that we're going to be a part of some part of some regional and internal stuff. I’m certain we’re open to whatever we can to get the best information," Nelson replied.
Henrico’s anticipates being able to the boil water advisory Saturday morning.
Henrico Water Crisis Timeline
Monday, Jan. 6, 2025
5:50 a.m. - Richmond Mayor Avula says Richmond’s water treatment plant loses power.
At some Monday Henrico removes itself from the city’s water supply and transfers to other supplies.
6:07 p.m. – Henrico puts out news release, saying boil water advisory is not in effect for the county because they were “able to proactively disconnect from Richmond’s water supply system.” That release says all Henrico residents are receiving water from the county’s water treatment facility, but that they may experience changes in water pressure due to the re-routing of service. “Henrico County wants to assure our customers that their water is safe to drink and use,” it read.
Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025
7:27 a.m. – CBS 6 viewers start to report low water pressure issues in Henrico.
7:30 a.m. – Henrico Supervisor Tyrone Nelson posts that he is getting calls about water being out or low pressure in Varina; says they are working on resolutions.
9:08 a.m. – Henrico puts out news release, saying they are working quickly to address the limited water pressure being experienced by some residents, mainly in the Sandston and White Oak areas. Henrico says the issue was caused by 1) the quick rerouting of the water services from Richmond, and 2) a water main break in Highland Springs.
Henrico says DPU is also providing resources to help Richmond restore water services.
10:30 a.m. – Henrico announces an 11:30 am news conference.
11:30 a.m. – At news conference, Henrico says a local state of emergency has been declared.
Henrico DPU says it is working to address the water main break and that it should be resolved by the afternoon.
Henrico reiterates there is still no boil water advisory for the county and that the water is clean and safe to drink.
Henrico says residents can pick up water at eastern Henrico libraries, and there will be tanker trucks at the Eastern Government Center and east mental health facility for people who can bring a jug or container.
2:17 p.m. – Neighboring Hanover County puts out news release saying they have issued a boil water advisory for all residents east of Interstate 95.
2:25 p.m. – Henrico clarifies that three east end libraries do not have bottled water at this time as lines form at the Eastern Government Center
3:30 p.m. – Henrico announces schools will be closed Wednesday
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025
3:26 a.m. – Henrico posts on Facebook that they have been able to pull some water from south of the Richmond Raceway area and distribute it throughout the system.
Henrico says some water service has been restored west of Mechanicsville Turnpike, and they are working to restore service in the east.
Henrico says distribution will continue at Eastern Government Center and Eastern Rec Center.
3:00 p.m. – Henrico announces schools will be closed again Thursday.
3:30 p.m. – Henrico announces a Boil Water Advisory for the entire county effective immediately.
Henrico says that decision was made after consultation with VDH, because water is being restored to lines that were shut off.
Henrico says affected residents should regain service within 24-48 hours.
9:08 p.m. – Henrico announces showers will be available to the public at three schools and the Henrico Sports and Events Center.
Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
10:50 a.m. – Henrico urges residents to conserve water use and remain patient, as increased demand is leading to gaps in the county’s water bottle supply.
Henrico urges residents to fill up containers at the tanker trucks.
11:00 a.m. – CBS 6 learns that Henrico Schools is partnering with FeedMore to get meals to families in need, urging people to contact FeedMore’s hunger hotline.
11:24 a.m. – Henrico announces that residents should start seeing their water flow return over the coming hours.
Henrico says people may notice fire hydrants open in the east end to release pressure and trapped air.
4:00 p.m. – Henrico announces schools will be closed again Friday.
Friday, Jan. 10, 2025
9:42 a.m. – Henrico announces that initial tests have been successful, and they hope to lift the boil water advisory as early as Saturday.
Henrico says water service has been restored to the central and eastern parts of the county that were hit hardest.
Henrico says locations offering free water and showers will close Friday at 8:00 pm.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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