RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia health officials have issued another notice of alleged violation to Richmond city leaders, marking the fourth such notice since the water crisis in January.
The latest reprimand stems from a boil water advisory issued late last month for parts of the city when filters clogged at Richmond's drinking water treatment plant.
The Virginia Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water investigation found the situation was "completely avoidable."
"It's unprecedented for Virginia and it's unprecedented for the office of drinking water because we have never, up until now, had been in a place where we've issued multiple violations in a short period of time for a very large water system," said Dwayne Roadcap, Drinking Water Director for VDH.
City officials initially blamed the incident on high turbidity in the source water, the James River, and later announced that preventative maintenance failures also contributed to the low water pressure issues.
Watch: There may be additional causes of Richmond's boil water advisory, state says: 'This is unacceptable'
"Two other water treatment plants that rely on the James River also experienced poor source water quality during the same time frame, but those plants did not experience clogged filters," state officials noted in their report.
The state cited delayed maintenance and cleaning of plate settlers – critical components for water flow and removing solids – as a major contributing factor to the crisis.
CBS 6 previously reported on an unfulfilled work order from May 12 that requested thorough washing of the plates, but that work was postponed for reasons the city never made clear.
State officials also allege Richmond plant workers failed to properly adjust chemicals to address high turbidity proactively and effectively.
"Institutionally, staff were accepting things that they didn't have to accept and shouldn't have to accept with respect to some of the equipment, some of the processes they had, some of the training they weren't getting and that they accepted that as normal when it shouldn't be normal and it can't be normal," Roadcap said. "So, I think with the new leadership team they are trying to reset that culture. They are trying to hold accountability to the staff and to themselves and we're not there yet, but directionally we are headed in the right direction."
In a letter to Mayor Avula and DPU Director Scott Morris, the state's deputy field director expressed serious concerns about the city's water management.
"The NOAVs represent unprecedented and very concerning situations for a waterworks this size and service area. These events erode public trust in the city's ability to comply with applicable regulations that protect public health," the letter stated.
The state warned that failure to correct these issues could result in civil or criminal penalties, or even revocation of the plant's permit.
Richmond DPU acknowledged the notice in a press release Monday afternoon.
"Immediately after City and DPU leadership learned of the operational issue that caused filters to clog, which impacted water production, actions were taken to ensure active communication and coordination with VDH and regional partners. DPU worked to ensure procedures for maintenance, operations, and communication were reinforced — including those outlined as recommendations in the NOAV to address all compliance concerns, which VDH acknowledges that the City has already committed to address or already addressed. DPU will continue to evaluate further enhancements," the press release stated.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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