RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT)—This is a moment all too familiar for Richmond residents. As of Tuesday night, many remain under a boil water advisory.

“Your jaw kind of hits the floor like, again, really?” said Byrd Park resident Julie Lesueur. “The fact that I had any water at all, I was happy, but then I saw somebody else post they were out of water completely, so I was concerned.“

In a press conference Tuesday night, Mayor Danny Avula said water production is back to normal, and the reservoir is holding more than seven feet of water.

The good news is that the first set of samples has been taken and officially sent to the lab, but there are still many questions, including the viability of the city’s water treatment plant.

“We are investing in our staff, creating standard operating procedures in how we operate,” said DPU Director Scott Morris.

The issue stems from a clogged filter at the water treatment plant. The clog diminished pressure at the Ginter Park Tank, impacting those on the city’s northside and surrounding areas and eventually spreading to the city’s southside.

“When the city loses a certain level of water pressure, by law, we have to go into a boil water advisory,” said Councilwoman Sarah Abubaker.

All of this has happened in less than six months since the water crisis in January, which left thousands without safe drinking water, but city leaders say this situation is very different.

“One was flooding, the other turbidity,” Morris said. “One of the actions we will coordinate with VDH is an after-action review. What caused the high turbidity?”

Mayor Avula says a second round of testing should occur on Wednesday, between 16 and 24 hours after the initial test.

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