RICHMOND, Va. — It was Sunday evening when Henrico, Hanover, and Chesterfield counties all received notice that Richmond's Department of Public Utilities released higher than normal levels of fluoride into its water distribution system.
But the counties didn't get that alert from the city, rather it came from other agencies.
“Anytime there's an operational issue that impacts water quality or water service, we'd like to know as soon as possible in a timely manner, so we can make sure we have our operations adjusted to handle any of those issues," said Hanover's Director of Public Utilities Matt Longshore.
Richmond DPU said the fluoride overflow happened five days earlier on Wednesday as it was installing a new pump. While the fluoride levels exceeded the typical standard, officials said they did not reach a point that would cause major health and safety concerns.
Watch: Richmond says new pump installation led to increased fluoride levels in water
Longshore said Hanover DPU immediately began testing once it learned of the problem and did not find any regulatory noncompliance related to the fluoride levels.
“We're continuing to do testing. We'll do testing at our entry point with the city for the remainder of the week and maybe thereafter, but at this point in time, there's no cause for concern," Longshore said.
But where there is concern is the communication aspect — why did it take five days for regional partners that rely on the city's water treatment plant for supply to be notified?
In a statement, Henrico County said it was "discouraged by the repeated operational failures and communications breakdowns associated with Richmond’s water treatment plant.”
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said he too was "disappointed" in the communication failure, saying it damaged the work being done to rebuild trust, especially in the aftermath of January's water crisis.
“As far as the lapse in this incident, that's a question for the city," Longshore said.
A city spokesperson said Mayor Avula and DPU Director Scott Morris were not available for an interview Tuesday. CBS 6 posed several questions to inquire when leadership learned of the fluoride issue, who was responsible for reporting it to the state and counties, and what accountability measures will be taken in response. The city has not yet provided responses.
Councilmember Sarah Abubaker said she appreciated Avula's and Morris' efforts to address systemic operational challenges at the plant but said the city's communication leaders are not doing their jobs.
“They should be able to rely on the communicators in City Hall to transmit information to our important stakeholders, and it's just not happening," Abubaker said. “We don't have to be perfect at everything, but we do have to be communicative. And we have told not just our residents, but the residents of the greater Richmond area that that's what we were going to do, and we haven't followed through on that. Disappointing is an understatement.”
Dwayne Roadcap, the director who oversees drinking water regulation at the Virginia Department of Health, said he learned about the incident through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management through its "routine after-hours communication at the Emergency Operations Center." He said he then contacted the chief operator at the water treatment plant himself to confirm and then ensured the surrounding counties were notified.
Roadcap said state regulations require water systems to report any "situation that occurs with the waterworks that presents or may present an imminent and substantial threat to public health" within 24 hours.
VDH "intends to issue another Notice of Alleged Violation (NOAV) based on the information gathered to date," Roadcap said.
This would mark at least the third drinking water-related NOAV sent to the city in 2025 so far. One was already issued in the immediate wake of the water crisis, and Roadcap said it's planning to issue a second notice associated with the findings of VDH's scathing water crisis investigation.
Multiple investigations commissioned by the state, city, and counties concluded the city failed to report the critical nature of its January 6th water treatment plant emergency until it was too late.
Longshore said since then, communications have improved, aside from the fluoride incident.
“And ultimately, you still have confidence in the city's ability to communicate with you guys?” reporter Tyler Layne asked Longshore.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s— we're working on communications," he responded.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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