RICHMOND, Va. – Effective Monday, January 6, the City of Richmond, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, has issued a Boil Water Advisory immediately and until further notice for residents served by the City of Richmond’s water system. This includes all residents in the city of Richmond. It is urgent that impacted residents take conservation steps immediately and boil water before consuming it.

All residents of Richmond and commercial businesses on city water must follow the guidance of boiling all water until the Boil Water Advisory is lifted. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least a minute and then let it cool before using.

This advisory comes after a winter weather storm-related loss of power today impacted the City of Richmond’s water reservoir system, causing the system to temporarily malfunction. Capacity restoration services are currently underway.

Below is a checklist for safe water use during this time:

• Do not drink tap water during this boil water alert.
• Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities.
• Do not use ice made from water today.
• Discard the ice and sanitize the ice machine and/or ice trays. Likewise, do not use water or dispensed directly from a refrigerator.
• Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.
• Do not wash your dishes using tap water – use boiled water or use paper plates for the next few days.
• Do not wash your fruits and vegetables with tap water – use boiled or bottled water.
• Do not brush your teeth with tap water — use boiled or bottled water.
• Do not cook with tap water, unless your food will be boiled vigorously for one minute.

The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts strongly advise that people take the following steps to prevent illness from contaminated water:

• Cover any scratches, cuts, or open wounds when taking a shower.
• When washing dishes using boiled water, let the water cool until hands can comfortably be inserted and immerse dishes, then let them air dry. Alternately, bottled water can be used, or use one tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon of clean water (no detergents). Do not use your dishwasher to wash dishes, as it uses the same public water system. “Single-use” items (paper plates, etc.) are an option.
• Do not rely on household filters that are purchased over the counter as they will not remove bacteria from the water. Most filters use carbon, and those filters do a good job of taking out taste and odors but do not take out other contaminants.

Please visit the City of Richmond website for updated information on the Boil Water Advisory.