RICHMOND, Va. — Some Richmond City Council members expressed their dissatisfaction Wednesday with the preliminary 15-page report on last month's water crisis, which they felt missed the mark in some areas.
"I know that this was a preliminary report, and frankly, I was a little bit disappointed in sort of its heft," Councilmember Sarah Abubaker (4th District) said.
A committee meeting on Wednesday marked the first time councilmembers were able to ask questions about the initial findings by engineering consultants with HNTB that were released Feb. 13.
The report detailed the breakdown of electrical and power failures at the Water Treatment plant on Jan. 6 that halted water production and left the city and surrounding counties without drinkable water for nearly a week.
“It doesn't get as much to the systemic issues that may have brought us to where we are, and I think that's really very critical," Councilmember Kenya Gibson (3rd District) said about the report.
While the report provided technical insights, councilors wanted to know why certain information seemed to be missing.
For example, the report's timeline completely skipped over the fact that DPU staff never turned on a manual backup generator when responding to the power loss.
“Do you know why that's missing from this preliminary report?” Gibson asked.
“There was more intention to try to drive at what was done than what was not done. My understanding is the backup generators were not engaged, and I believe the interim report will address those items as well," Morris answered.
The report pointed out a lack of training and standard operating procedures within DPU which impacted staff's ability to respond to an emergency, which Morris said prompted the department to enhance more than 50 standard operating procedures.
It did not, however, dig into deferred maintenance.
A CBS 6 investigation found the city knew as far back as 2012 that critical electrical components, including assets that failed during this crisis such as the switchgear, had not been completed even more than a decade later.
Watch: Richmond knew in 2012 water plant equipment was unreliable but didn't replace it
“There was some media coverage about the switch not being ordered. What is the information that HNTB is getting in order to identify why that purchase hadn't been made yet?” Gibson said.
“To date, I think they've had all the information they've requested given to them. If they need anything else, by all means, I'll be ready to provide that information to them. That's our overall point is we wanted to be open and transparent," Morris said.
In a letter Morris sent on Feb. 21 to the Virginia Department of Health, the state regulatory agency that cited the city for failing to prevent the water crisis, he said the backup generators will be upgraded for automatic operation by November 2025. That's 13 years after a study already identified the equipment as needing replacement.
Then there's the 2022 inspection by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which warned DPU of lacking emergency planning and equipment in need of repair.
Watch: Past inspections cited Richmond water plant for deteriorating equipment, outdated emergency planning
In response to a question posed by Councilmember Katherine Jordan (2nd District) about how the city responded to that report, Morris said a "vast majority" of the issues flagged by the EPA "have been addressed."
Morris assured councilmembers that their lingering questions will be addressed through forthcoming reports that will be more comprehensive.
When asked whether former DPU Director April Bingham will be included in the after-action activities, Morris said she "declined" the offer to participate.
But CBS 6 obtained an email Bingham sent to the council Wednesday afternoon shortly after Morris made that remark.
In the email, she wrote, "Please have the administration provide details of this interaction as I am interested in knowing WHO contacted me, WHEN they contacted me, and HOW they contacted me."
Bingham added she was an "integral part of the recovery process between Jan. 6-15 before being relieved from duty" and that "refusing to include my observations in the preliminary report or the upcoming final report is reckless and breeds a lack of transparency."
While she said she would "no longer allow" her opinions and knowledge to be "overlooked or dismissed," Bingham said, as of Wednesday, she did not want to sit down with HNTB or the city administration anymore because she was "not confident" her words would be "used in a favorable fashion."
Instead, Bingham said she would send her feedback directly to the council.
CBS 6 reached out a city spokesperson to confirm who specifically reached out to Bingham to request her engagement in the after-action reports. Julian Walker, spokesperson for Mayor Avula sent the following statement:
"The city previously contacted Ms. Bingham to ask if she would participate in inquiries by the Virginia Department of Health and HNTB regarding the water service disruption that occurred in early January. At the time, Ms. Bingham indicated she did not wish to participate. Since then, media reports indicate that may have changed. The city is now exploring options to connect Ms. Bingham with those organizations."
When asked when that outreach to Bingham occurred, Walker did not provide an answer.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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