Author: Mae Stevens, CEO, American Business Water Coalition
Last week, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia released the Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) report on the January 2025 water crisis in Richmond that left countless businesses and roughly 230,000 residents without safe water for several days. The findings point to a perfect storm of operation, procedural and infrastructure failures, but it’s important to note that there is a much bigger issue at play.
This crisis, like many others seen across the country, was not just the result of internal missteps or isolated errors, but a stark example of what can happen when our nation’s water infrastructure is neglected due to decades of federal underinvestment.
No one working at a utility wants their community to lose access to safe water. But when water systems and infrastructure are underfunded for so long, there’s only so much that can be done to prevent disaster.
A Stark Warning from Richmond
The independent investigation conducted by VDH and the Office of the Attorney General found that thousands of Richmond residents were exposed to contaminated drinking water due to a number of multi-layered operational and infrastructure failures.
These failures didn’t happen overnight. The report highlights how long-standing structural and organizational challenges within Richmond’s water utility laid the groundwork for the crisis, pointing to deeper, more systemic issues that increased the likelihood of this outcome. This was not an isolated mistake; it was a consequence of a systemic federal disinvestment in our nation’s water infrastructure.
The report’s recommendations to prevent a future crisis, from capital improvements and updated maintenance protocols to stronger emergency preparedness, all share one common requirement: increased investment. Without adequate resources and funding, Richmond will not be able to fully implement these changes, leaving the region vulnerable to future risk.
A Reflection of a National Crisis
What happened in Richmond could happen anywhere, and sadly, many communities nationwide already know what it is like to be without safe water.
Across the United States, water utilities are being asked to do more with less. Many are managing infrastructure that’s over a century old, without the federal funding or staffing needed to bring the systems up to modern standards. Small towns and large cities alike are grappling with the same underlying problem: the federal government has not made water infrastructure a national priority.
According to the EPA’s most recent Clean Watersheds Needs Survey and Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, the country needs more than $1 trillion over 20 years—that’s about $50 billion per year—to keep our water systems in a state of good repair. Yet every year, funding falls alarmingly short of that target, as Congress only provides roughly $3 billion annually for the entire nation through Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) and Drinking Water SRFs, leaving communities vulnerable to the next crisis.
It’s Time to Move Beyond the First Step
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivered a historic $50 billion investment in water, but that funding is only a fraction of what is needed. It was a start, not a solution.
As Congress prepares to negotiate appropriations for the fiscal year 2026, now is the time to build on that momentum and make our nation’s water infrastructure a priority. Without sustained support, utilities and the communities they serve will remain vulnerable, and crises like Richmond’s will continue to occur.
The Richmond report is a wake-up call. It can either be treated as an isolated incident or rightfully recognized as a warning of what is to come without adequate support. The EPA has shown what is required to prevent disaster. What is needed now is clear, long-term federal action to protect our country’s businesses and communities.
