[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6653339,"mediaKeyId","2484016-80e64141bf4945e9e4c01dbb599ba41f","parentId",2484016,"title","Interim report cites power-system failures, staffing and communication gaps in Richmond water-plant outage","audioSeconds",1060,"startMs",164000,"endMs",1224000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2484016-80e64141bf4945e9e4c01dbb599ba41f&start=164&end=1224","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2484016-80e64141bf4945e9e4c01dbb599ba41f/thumbnail_164000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6653339/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Interim-report-cites-power-system-failures-staffing-and-communication-gaps-in-Richmond-water-plant-outage","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653339-ff05d5bd42223338bea26412bf42db2e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440355&Signature=lcvS0dv84JOYuFPyVbxioU4XeHXHK6lGmXR-9ccF-Shpo~eBsda0A5aJdiKp2~vMZZ6ArWx4ehi~xrVO-pYUVqQBGj6HWb75vFOwx4PE8DEqh9whJdes1o6~YOkCMny4FRkLhDJX1SZ0HchrWRDJAGe2bFKmXQ90C75ZF2aLJ3K-370JFi~aE3dgh3KFAEwBYifBmgpbjri-BIlsqTbMznUuzI9AV4OAPWBX24cmFnXqCp6MuOnYZgXLArarKqGsKuv0RbOzSDxAU8WvAZYGchdfFHXozW66r8aU0lCtN21V51QvLXAU9ee0~ofYdNKanH6uF-wBgUjWlwv1MqqgYg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Richmond City","date","2025-03-04T00:00:00Z","article","An interim investigation presented to the Richmond City Council's Organizational Development Standing Committee on March 3 found that a January outage at the Richmond Water Treatment Plant began with a mechanical failure in a switchgear bus tie and was compounded by inadequate backup power programming, limited dewatering capacity and gaps in staffing, training and communications, HNTB representatives said.

The interim report, delivered by Robert Page, vice president with HNTB, says the event began after Main Feeder 1 lost power and a mechanical failure prevented an automatic transfer to the second feeder. That left the plant dependent on uninterruptible power supply units and manually operated generators. The report says UPS units did not close filter effluent valves during the outage, allowing water to flood the basement, submerge electrical equipment and take the plant offline.

Why it matters: the outage led to a system-wide disruption and a boil-water advisory affecting Richmond and wholesale customers; the report frames immediate technical fixes that city staff have already begun while identifying further capital, staffing and procedural changes to reduce the risk of a repeat event.

HNTB's on-the-ground findings and recommendations

HNTB told the committee it conducted a plant tour, reviewed documents and interviewed 14 staff to date; it said the investigation is ongoing and the interim report may be revised. Key technical findings and recommendations include:

- Root cause: a mechanical failure in the closed-coil bus-tie in switchgear 6 and a failure of UPS programming that left the filter effluent valves open during loss of power.
- Power programming: operate the plant in a mode that preserves redundancy (described in the report as the 'summer mode'), develop a formal bus-tie failure plan, and change Plant 1 SCADA programming so valve closures on UPS power match Plant 2 behavior.
- UPS and generator sizing: provide a parallel backup UPS for critical filter-valve controls sized to a minimum 1-hour run time; evaluate an automatic transfer system for generators to reduce operator risk when an incoming feed remains live.
- Valve and dewatering safeguards: verify filter effluent valves are fail-safe closed or reprogram them to close, install high-level floats in clear wells to force valve closure when levels rise, fit valve actuators with watertight ratings and add visual and remote indicators to confirm valve position.
- Dewatering and electrical protections: install dewatering pumps able to keep pace with incoming gravity flow and raise critical electrical equipment above basement level where practical.
- Staffing and training: consider additional mechanical and electrical staff during high-risk storm periods, implement a 30-minute response-time protocol for maintenance staff, add a float operator to increase shift staffing from three to four, and develop formal SOPs and an accessible, scenario-specific emergency operations manual in compliance with the Virginia Administrative Code.
- Asset management and maintenance: develop an asset management plan, improve preventive-maintenance work orders and work-order detail, and reconcile maintenance access for operations staff.
- Communication: formalize an external-notification protocol for wholesale customers and other large users, review and update contact lists monthly, ensure staff have radios and clarify leadership and decision-making roles for incident responses.

Several recommendations already implemented

HNTB and city staff told the committee some changes already were put in place: Scott Morris, director of the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), said plant power-mode programming had been changed immediately to improve redundancy. HNTB also recommended additional near-term fixes and longer-term capital work, and it noted the SCADA control-system behavior is still under review.

Council questions and next steps

Council members pressed for clarity on the investigation's scope and underlying documentation. Council Member Gibson asked whether HNTB's assignment included detailed internal-communications review and e-mail correspondence; the presenter said HNTB would include internal communications where available and is comparing prior recommendations to actions taken.

Director Scott Morris told the committee the city is coordinating outstanding interviews and document requests, and that HNTB plans a final report for April 3 with a return to the committee on April 7. HNTB said it has reached out to former director Bingham and planned to schedule an interview with long-serving plant operator Bob Bridal.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to amend the agenda (continuing consideration of Resolution 2025-R-10 and appointments to boards and commissions to the April 7 meeting): approved by the committee.
- Approval of minutes from the Feb. 3, 2025 Organizational Development Standing Committee meeting (4 p.m.): approved as presented.

What the report does not yet resolve

HNTB and DPU officials repeatedly noted the interim nature of the report: the investigation is still seeking documentation and interviews, and HNTB said it will not necessarily trace why older recommendations (cited in prior plans) were not implemented in previous years. The firm said the final report will catalog prior recommendations and note which were completed and which were not, but it may not attempt to determine the administrative or budgetary rationale behind every historical decision.

What to watch for

HNTB said the final report is scheduled for release April 3 and that it will present an implementation matrix showing recommendations, responsible parties and target timelines. City staff said they are coordinating with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and EPA on outstanding items and will provide additional crosswalks of recommendations from state and federal reviewers where practical.

Ending

HNTB and DPU said they will return to the committee with the final report and an implementation crosswalk with state and federal findings. Interviews with former director Bingham and plant operator Bob Bridal were described as pending by HNTB.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Richmond City - Organizational Development Standing Committee Meeting - March 3, 2025 - Mar 04, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","An interim investigation presented to the Richmond City Council's Organizational Development Standing Committee on March 3 found that a January outage at the Richmond Water Treatment Plant began with a mechanical failure in a switchgear bus tie and was compounded by inadequate backup power programming, limited dewatering capacity and gaps in staffing, training and communications, HNTB representatives said.","taxTitle","Richmond City (Independent City), Virginia","taxId",5755,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6653333,"Richmond People's Budget to send 10'15 district projects to voters; $3 million pilot budget and April 1
15 voting window announced",4787,2134000,6921000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2484016-80e64141bf4945e9e4c01dbb599ba41f&start=2134&end=6921","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2484016-80e64141bf4945e9e4c01dbb599ba41f/thumbnail_2134000.jpg","/articles/6653333/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Richmond-Peoples-Budget-to-send-1015-district-projects-to-voters-3-million-pilot-budget-and-April-1br15-voting-window-announced","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653333-22a74cc43897a9bec1b15a80e3788bac/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440355&Signature=Su~AgdJKVcfmPjLDs86YFdZ7gm9~b-jJmkUD6KuVJpca1n1ui7jcp7TtsX46Ikq9N9cW-5qwWK9m8IDqMQ~80fLDDjdlTlCzjjoJwFY-MJk2n~uSCq3t0szHHRSXUR77FPF2-CYpyQNMPvoCJK4P2YiBSY~yGWSWBqPsEXaQI2~yHJ3IiheB5G6D8QTMdvEI8C4s2MLrpx6jUY-CMsPzmVRFEt9aIjk~NZw5bY0lK9bZ1Q5WvZSG5k8iNGNDkcrhcdJYnDX6lUBaNdV3XCzCjzqXAXtJjU50jsX~NWrlTE0hmlJ1WNt9fW4mfXtLx1eVHbz1ZjHnAITb7tVb~lYMPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Richmond People's Budget, a participatory budgeting pilot that gives residents a role in selecting capital projects, will put district-level project proposals to ranked vote from April 1 through April 15, organizers told the Richmond City Council's Organizational Development Standing Committee.

Leliana Delgado, civic engagement coordinator in the City Council chief of staff's office, said the pilot aims to allocate $3 million in FY26 capital funding across the city's nine districts. The steering commission used the RVA 2050 social-vulnerability map to guide distribution so that higher-need areas receive larger dollar shares. Under the pilot's funding structure, organizers said district allocations will range from a base $200,000 to larger shares (example figures cited by staff included $300,000 and $500,000 amounts for higher-need districts); staff said exact per-district allocations and the ballot for each district are available from the People's Budget office and will be published before voting begins.

How the process worked and who participated

Delgado said idea-collection began in September and yielded over 1,900 community suggestions, gathered both in person and online. Residents aged 14 and older who live, work or study in Richmond are eligible to participate; 'worker' was defined as anyone who works within city limits.

Budget delegates: the steering commission selected three budget delegates per district from 70 applicants; delegates researched and turned community ideas into feasible capital proposals. Delgado said each district will put roughly 10'15 projects on the ballot.

Voting and implementation

Voting will be conducted both in person and online from April 1 to April 15 with ranked-choice ballots that allow voters to prioritize up to three projects. Winning projects will be added to the City's CIP for funding and then move into the procurement and implementation phases. Organizers also plan evaluation and refinement after implementation, with a second VCU-led assessment planned to report on Phase 2.

VCU early evaluation: enthusiasm and recommendations

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University presented Phase 1 of an independent evaluation. Dr. Britney Keegan of the VCU Wilder School and Dr. Victor Chen of the College of Humanities and Sciences said early survey (63 responses) and focus-group results suggest strong enthusiasm: 77% of respondents said they feel their perspectives are valued in the PB process, 80% agreed PB strengthened their relationship with city government and 64% rated their experience as good or excellent. The evaluation also identified opportunities: respondents urged broader outreach, more transparent feedback to participants, and consideration of expanding the scope to include maintenance or essential services in future cycles.

Council discussion and administrative details

Council members praised the engagement and asked for operational details. Delgado said the administrative budget for the People's Budget pilot is $150,000 (for logistics, materials and direct program costs); Delgado said one full-time staffer (Delgado) is devoted primarily to the program while other council-office staff contributors allocate a portion of their time to PB work. Delegates received one-time stipends for their proposal-development work, Delgado said.

Next steps and requests from council

Delgado asked council members to help identify voting locations across districts and to continue supporting the program in upcoming budget deliberations to secure the $3 million in FY26 funding and sustain future cycles. VCU researchers said Phase 2 will focus on implementation feedback and longer-term outcome measures, and they will return with a follow-up report once voting and project selection are complete.

Ending

Organizers said ballots and full district proposal lists will be published ahead of the April 1 voting start. Committee members requested a detailed organizational chart and a breakdown of the PB administrative budget for distribution to council.","City staff and VCU evaluators updated the Organizational Development committee on the Richmond People's Budget, a participatory budgeting pilot that aims to allocate $3 million in FY26 CIP funds across the city. The process collected more than 1,900 ideas, selected budget delegates, and will run ranked voting April 1'15.","actionData","errors"]

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Interim report cites power-system failures, staffing and communication gaps in Richmond water-plant outage

Richmond People's Budget to send 10'15 district projects to voters; $3 million pilot budget and April 1<br>15 voting window announced