(The Center Square) – The water crisis that gripped the Richmond in January, leaving the capital waterless for days, was “completely avoidable,” according to a new report.

The outage stemmed from a January winter storm that knocked out power at Richmond’s water treatment plant. It caused much of the area, including businesses, to halt normal activity, additionally delaying the start of the General Assembly.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a scathing report from the Virginia Department of Health on the crisis, noting the incident could have been prevented, calling on the city to implement a corrective action plan following “a second notice of violation against the city.”

In addition to the plan of action, the governor announced funding assistance to businesses, agriculture and non-profits impacted by the crisis.

The governor didn’t mince words in his criticism of Richmond, telling leaders it is time to act.

“The disruption of a safe and reliable water supply in Richmond this past January never should have happened,” said Youngkin. “Moving forward, it should never happen again, and I’ve directed the Department of Health to ensure Richmond takes all corrective actions necessary to achieve that objective. The people of Richmond and the surrounding counties persevered through this preventable crisis, and now it’s time for city leaders to step up for their citizens.” 

The report stems from an investigation by VDH’s Office of Drinking Water and Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc., an engineering firm tasked with identifying issues that led to the Richmond area being left without “reliable” water service for days. They found that “significant operational, procedural, and infrastructure failures” contributed to the crisis.

The report underscored that the crisis was “completely avoidable,” pointing to the city’s water treatment plant for the failures. By operating in “winter mode, the plant relied “solely on overhead main power, eliminating critical redundancy.”

In addition, the investigation cited “poor maintenance” with critical backup systems, including backup batteries that were not “properly maintained despite known flood risks.”

Lastly, the investigation claims the treatment facility over-relied on manual processes, which include “ineffective emergency plans and manual procedures hampered” the plant’s response when it lost power.

“Our public water systems are our primary source of safe drinking water. Given the essential role that water plays in our daily lives, it is critical that stronger preventative measures be in place,” according to a release from the governor’s office. “Moving forward, VDH will coordinate with City officials to develop and implement a corrective action plan, addressing these deficiencies and preventing future outages.”

In an effort to assist several entities impacted by the outage, Youngkin announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration has made Economic Injury Disaster Loans available to those affected.

The loans are intended to help “small businesses, small agriculture cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, non-profit organizations” that suffered economic impacts to aid with “operational costs during the recovery process.”

The declaration covers the counties of Goochland, Hanover, Henrico and Richmond City, as well as Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Fluvanna, King William, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan and Spotsylvania counties. 

(The Center Square) – Big money is already pouring into Virginia’s 2025 race for lieutenant governor—and just four candidates are pulling far ahead of the pack.

Together, they’ve raised more than $2.4 million across 12 committees, with just four candidates accounting for the majority of that total and setting an early tone for one of the most competitive and well-funded races in recent memory.

Democratic Del. Aaron Rouse and Republican attorney John Curran are sitting on the largest war chests so far, with both reporting more than $900,000 in cash on hand by the end of March, according to The Virginia Public Access Project.

Rouse has significant contributions from labor unions and progressive organizations, including contributions from SEIU Birgona 512, Clean Virginia and the Virginia Education Association.

Curran, by contrast, reported raising less than $20,000 during the first quarter but entered the race with a hefty balance already banked. His donor list includes business-aligned PACs and individual contributions, such as those from the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Dominion Energy.

Rouse has raised nearly $400,000 since January and ended March with about $926,000 in cash on hand.

Ghazala Hashmi, a Democratic state senator, reported raising over $750,000 and ending the quarter with approximately $547,000 in cash.

Hashmi’s campaign was powered by grassroots donations and support from Democratic-aligned PACs, with major contributions from EMILY’s List and labor unions.

Barur Lateef, a Prince William County School Board member and eye surgeon, raised just over $522,000 by the end of March. He ended the first quarter with approximately $360,000 in cash on hand, drawing support from healthcare industry donors and local Democratic networks.

Levar Stoney, former Richmond mayor, raised approximately $976,000 and reported about $539,000 in cash on hand. His top donors include major individual backers like Thomas McInerney, donating $30,000. Common Good Virginia PAC also contributed more than $16,000 across two donations.