RICHMOND, Va. β One of the many places to be shutdown as a result of the 2025 water crisis was the General Assembly. Lawmakers gaveled in for the start of their session two days into the crisis on Jan. 8 and quickly gaveled out until water service was restored.
Now as the 2026 session approaches, which includes the creation of a new two-year state budget, Richmond officials are asking for financial help to upgrade its infrastructure and prevent future crises.
Richmond is requesting $40 million per year in the budget, which Mayor Danny Avula said was a "significant ask" when talking with CBS 6's Tyler Layne ahead of the one-year anniversary.
Avula said while the big items that had needed replacement for years or were damaged in the crisis have been address, an example of how they would use state funding is to modernize the water plant and move the main equipment above ground.
"In the assessment of what led to this extended outage in January was the fact that our main equipment infrastructure is below ground, right?" said Avula. "One hundred years ago, there were probably some benefits in trying to use gravity to help the water get to where it needed to be. But as we've seen, that's probably not the best design layout. And so, one of the recommendations that was made was to bring those above ground and that would require an entire redesign of the plant, which is a pretty expensive endeavor."
The request wasn't included in outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin's December budget proposal, but Avula said he has discussed the funding with regional lawmakers and Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger's incoming administration β stressing the upgrades would benefit not just Richmond.
"This is not just the thing that's supporting Richmond, but that Hanover, Chesterfield, and Henrico, who are all dependent on the system in different ways, are also supportive of this being a budget priority," Avula said.
Del. Betsy Carr (D-Richmond), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, released a statement saying she is "committed to working with my regional colleagues to fix this for the entire area and to ensure we all have a first class, modern water infrastructure that cannot and will not fail us."
However, the request comes during a challenging budget cycle for Virginia. Delegate Rodney Willett, who represents Henrico County and serves on the House Appropriations Committee, said the state faces financial pressures from federal policy changes affecting Medicaid, food assistance and child care subsidies.
"It was a shock to all of us, and certainly a huge impact on the entire region. And I can't believe it's been a year," Willett said.
"We're getting hit from all directions and that burden, the financial burden, is falling on us. And Virginia, we're a state that's, relatively speaking, doing well from a revenue standpoint. But these are overwhelming numbers," Willett said.
Avula acknowledged the budget challenges but said state investment is crucial to protecting residents from utility rate increases.
"Our desire here is to really protect rate payers, which is why we're asking for such a significant investment for this from the state. Because the more state money that goes into this, the more that we can keep utility rates from rising," Avula said.
Virginians can provide input on the state budget during public sessions scheduled for Wednesday. Information on how to participate is available here.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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