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Hopewell residents struggling without water for multiple days

Posted at 11:59 PM, Feb 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-17 05:35:22-05

HOPEWELL, Va. -- Virginia American Water doesn’t have a timeline for water to be restored in Hopewell after multiple issues have caused an extended outage for citizens.

Until it is restored, officials say they will continue to bring water to essential buildings including hospitals and nursing homes.

It has been a challenging few days for Hopewell residents like Candace Drew. "To my surprise, when I went to use the toilet the other day, the tank wouldn't fill because there wasn't enough pressure," Drew said.

And she is hardly alone: the entire City of Hopewell is under mandatory restrictions due to an electrical malfunction at the Virginia American’s water plant, which led to bigger problems Tuesday with more equipment issues.

"I'm just hoping it's fixed by the time the ice storm comes, because I can't travel to take a shower when there's ice on the roads," said Drew.

Virginia America Water says their employees are working as fast and safely as they can to restore water to the 9,500 residents of Hopewell and Prince George that they provide service to.

"I'll probably go to a store in a surrounding city to buy my water, so I can avoid that line in the future,” Drew said.

Bottled water distribution lines have been set up in the city.

"I'm concerned about the water I give my dog,” Drew said. “I have to boil it, too, or give her bottled water."

When water is finally fully restored, city officials advise that there will be a period of time in which residents and businesses should continue to conserve water and boil it before use.

Virginia American Water will continue to distribute water to residents Wednesday at Patrick Copeland Elementary School at 400 Westhill Road from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are unable to go and need the water to be delivered call: 804-541-2391.

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