RICHMOND, Va. — A water main break near Richmond's Windsor Farms neighborhood forced at least one local business to close over the Fourth of July weekend, leaving residents and business owners anxious after the city's 2025 water crisis.
Water pressure was restored Monday after the break Friday disrupted service for businesses and homes across the area.
Richmond
Richmond water pressure restored; drinking water confirmed safe
Bar West Operations Director Ben Quade said he received a call from his team Friday alerting him that water pressure had dropped to nothing.
"I got a phone call from our team saying that our water pressure was nonexistent," Quade said.
Quade said the situation worsened before it improved.
"We actually came in on Saturday to small floods throughout the restaurant from things that had leaked due to that loss of water pressure," Quade said.
For many in Richmond, the timing of the break — over a holiday weekend — stirred memories of the city's 2025 water crisis.
"The initial thoughts were, 'not again,'" Quade said. "Since the last crisis, our water has never been the same."
City officials said Sunday that water pressure had been successfully restored across all pressure zones and that sampling results confirm drinking water is safe throughout the system. The Department of Public Utilities also said results from all nine pressure zones were sent to the Virginia Department of Health, which will coordinate with the city throughout the long-term repair process.
Repairs to the 36-inch main break began Monday morning. Richmond provided the following statement:
On Monday, July 6 crews began the repair process on the 36” water main in the canal. After utility lines were marked, three bypass pipes were installed within the canal to divert water in the canal around the work area. Work to excavate to the main is still underway with digging reaching depths of 5’ as of 2 p.m.
It is too early to determine an updated timeline for the repair, which will also be contingent on factors such as weather. Progress updates will be provided each Friday on RVA.gov; the tentative schedule provided remains accurate as of today
For the most up-to-date information on utility work impacts in their area, citizens are encouraged to sign up for CivicReady to receive alerts.
We appreciate the patience of all impacted customers throughout the water main break. Should customers experience issues with water pressure in their home they can call the DPU Call Center at 804-646-4646.
Quade said city officials assured him water had been diverted to the area to prevent further service interruptions, but he remains cautiously optimistic.
"They did ensure us that they had diverted water to the space to make sure that we wouldn't have a loss of operation moving forward," Quade said. "But as we all know, changes in sources cause a lot of complications, especially within the city, so, you know, we're fingers crossed that there won't be anything, but we're also prepared for if something does come about."
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
