Timeline: What Richmond knew about James River sewage leak, when they knew it

RICHMOND, Va. — It took 15 days for a health advisory to be released regarding sewage leaks in the James River after an initial pipeline leak, according to the City of Richmond and the Department of Health.

The City is investigating a third potential leak into the James River, according to state officials. The third investigation comes as the City works to clean up two separate sewage leaks, confirmed to come from the same faulty pipeline. That investigation surrounds a commercial building, and it is unclear if it is due to stormwater or sewage.

The prior, multiple sewage leaks, as well as stormwater overflow, over the span of several weeks, is causing high levels of E. Coli readings, at one point said to be 10 times higher than what’s considered safe.

The Virginia Department of Health and the Department of Utilities first shared a joint health advisory about the issue on July 17, saying the problem started on July 16.

According to the Department of Environmental Quality, however, there was at least one sewage leak coming from the same pipe before that, starting as early as July 2.

WATCH: Broken pipe leaking sewage into James River is being repaired, officials say

According to DEQ, the timeline of events is as follows:

July 2, 2024

• DEQ says the city reported a sewage leak to them on July 2, originally said to be coming from Belle Isle, but was actually coming from the pipeline in question. The duration of this leak was from 7:22 a.m. until 1 p.m. The estimated volume was reported as less than 1000 gallons—later revised to less than 100 gallons.

July 3, 2024

• The City reported they checked the location on July 3, and the leak was no longer present. The City also indicated they were investigating to determine if the discharge that occurred was sewage or stormwater. No further communications were received from the City about this leak until July 22.

July 15 - July 18, 2024

• DEQ says on July 15, its own staff saw the pipe leaking and notified the city to investigate. The city later confirmed the leak was a sewage leak, again coming from the same pipe. It continued over three days, said to last from July 15 to 18. The City commented that heavier rain events can cause stagnant groundwater to be pushed out through leaks in the pipe. The City dispatched an inspector to inspect the area and collected samples if needed.

There is no indication that a leak occurred continuously from July 2 through July 15.
The July 2 discharge was a separate incident that occurred at the same location as the leak discovered on July 15 — as confirmed from communication with the City.

"Because Richmond's a historic city and has really old infrastructure for its sewage and stormwater, we have times where it's too much rain, it overwhelms the capacity of the system, to push everything toward our treatment plant, so it's untreated sewage," said Bill Street with the James River Association, of the incident.

Despite this, photos dated to July 14 show the same pipe leaking out between the initial sighting by the city, and the second sighting by DEQ.

Matt Wagner

July 16, 2024

By July 16, the City reported a confirmed leak of sewage on the Pipeline Trail that was due to the failure of a bypass pump. The estimated volume of that leak was greater than 1,000 gallons. This leak was reported to VDH on the same day. Follow-up reports from the City indicated that the leak persisted from July 15 at 6 a.m. until July 18 at 2 p.m.

July 17, 2024

On July 17, VDH issued a recreational advisory for the James River below the leak.

July 22, 2024

On July 22, the City provided notification that they had taken measures and stopped the leak on July 18; however they reported another leak that day of what the City suspects is a stormwater connection from a commercial property; they are investigating.

The City also reported that sample results from the July 2 leak confirmed that the leak contained sewage.

"The pipeline is part of the City's sewer infrastructure and it is their responsibility to maintain it. In this instance the City has indicated that they are working on a temporary and permanent fix for this pipeline. DEQ will consider all compliance and enforcement options as they relate to the discharges from this pipeline,” Irina Calos, with DEQ, said.

Wednesday, DPU released a statement saying the July 2 leak was related to a wet weather event and was "exacerbated by a stormwater connection from an adjacent commercial property." DPU said this was reported to DEQ within 24 hours as required.

The Virginia Department of Health has not had any reports of anyone getting sick from the leaks.

Based on the most recent readings from the James River Watch, E. Coli levels near the 14th Street takeout steps and Rocketts Landing are still high . The James River Watch will likely share an update on E. Coli levels this coming Friday.

Sanitary Sewer Overflow is classified by the DEQ as enforcements that require special procedures. Though no indication has been given that any environmental regulations have been enforced to anyone, the procedure is outlined in the DEQ Enforcement Manual as the following:

“[SSO] would require [DEQ] staff to develop a proposed SSO hearing special order for public notice and comment, containing proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law and the injunctive and penalty relief requested.”

Formal enforcement may result in an enforceable document, such as an administrative order or judicial decree, such as consent orders, fact-finding proceedings, formal hearings, civil suits or DEQ has adopted U.S Environmental Protection Agency terminology for classifying non-compliance in programs that EPA has authorized.

“Unauthorized discharges from municipal systems are not uncommon,” Calos said in an email. “DEQ has procedures and processes in place to investigate the cause of the discharge and respond appropriately to protect human health and the environment. Though enforcement action is a possibility, it is too early in the process to determine what, if any, enforcement action DEQ may take.”

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

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