HOPEWELL, Va. — Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to the City of Hopewell’s wastewater treatment plant for eight discharges of raw wastewater six months prior to Friday night’s massive discharge of raw sewage into the James River and Gravely Run Creek.
DEQ said in the NOV it had reason to believe the plant was in violation of the State Water Control Law.
The plant, called Hopewell Water Renewal, treats raw sewage from the City of Hopewell, but also industrial wastewater from nearby companies like AdvanSix-Hopewell, Ashland Specialty Ingredients, GP, Smurfit WestRock and Virginia American Water Company, according to DEQ records.
A massive release of untreated sewage into the James River and Gravely Run Creek over the weekend prompted health officials to issue a recreational water advisory for the area.
Mike Crocker Jr., the head of Public Works for Hopewell, said 1.38 million gallons of sewage discharged just before midnight on Friday due to a suspected short in a wire that caused a power outage.
To put the size of the spill in perspective, an Olympic-sized swimming pool holds about 660,000 gallons of water.
The Virginia Department of Health has warned people and pets to avoid contact with the James River between Hopewell and Charles City County while the advisory remains in effect.
"That's gross," said Hopewell resident Dwayne Burnett.
Crocker said the power issue was localized to the screens that serve as the first line of defense inside the plant.
While the facility has numerous emergency generators, Crocker explained that when a feed wire is compromised, the generators cannot provide power to the affected system.
A portable generator was brought in on Saturday to restore necessary power.
CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit uncovered an inspection from late November of last year conducted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) that revealed significant maintenance issues at the plant.
The inspector found more than 30 pieces of equipment out of service or inoperable, along with vegetative growth throughout the facility.
The inspection also noted the facility does not have a preventative maintenance schedule or program.
"After what happened up in Richmond, I'm not surprised," said Burnett, who frequently visits Old City Point Waterfront Park.
In 2024 alone, the plant reported 33 sanitary sewer overflows and unauthorized discharges to the DEQ.
On January 21 of this year, the DEQ issued a notice of violation to the City of Hopewell Water Renewal for eight of those discharges, many of which were the result of “mechanical failure."
The most recent violation from December 2 states that a discharge was the result of power loss to the pump station.
However, Crocker maintains that this past weekend's power outage was not the result of previous lack of maintenance, adding that Hopewell Water Renewal continues to make progress toward identifying and addressing long-standing maintenance concerns.
Crocker said staff has made a concerted effort to outline maintenance needs and to schedule the work to be completed.
We asked the DEQ for an update to the NOV because it states “if compliance and remediation is not achieved within 30 days, the Department may proceed with a formal enforcement action including assessment of civil charges under its enforcement authority." Giese said the NOV is still open.
The recreational advisory issued on Saturday, July 12 is still in place, according to VDH.
VDH Spokesperson Brookie Crawford sent us the following information Monday:
To prevent recreational water illnesses due to sewage release events, people should:
- Avoid contact with any area of the waterbody of Gravely Run Creek and its opening to the James River and areas north to Old City Point Waterfront Park south to Berkley Plantation to include the entire width of the James River.
- Avoid any area of the waterbody where there is water with a foul or chemical odor, dead or dying fish, or discolored water.
- Promptly wash skin with soap and water if you cannot avoid contact with water in the vicinity.
- Rinse or wash items that come into contact with the water, including clothing, fishing gear, life vests, ropes and paddles.
- Seek medical care and notify your practitioner of the waterbody exposure if you experience adverse health effects after contact with the waterbody.
As long as there is no additional discharge, VDH expects to lift the advisory on Friday after the river system has time to flush out the sewage through dilution and degradation.
Giese said “DEQ will work with the facility to review what led to this sewage discharge and what can be done to prevent a recurrence.”
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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