Virginia American Water Continues to Urge Mandatory Water Conservation

As an update to the shutdown of Virginia American Water’s Hopewell Treatment Plant at approximately 12:30 a.m. this morning after a diesel spill of 600 gallons made its way into the water supply near the intake, Virginia American Water asks customers to continue to limit their water use to essential uses only, and will be offering bottled and bulk water beginning this evening until the system fully recovers.

Sampling results have been coming back below detectable levels for diesel, and water production will resume in the next few hours. At this time, no boil water advisory is being issued. However, in case a loss of pressure occurs, a boil water advisory will be required by the Virginia Department of Health.

Virginia American Water will be offering bottled water and bulk water this evening at Hopewell High School (bottled water) on Mesa Drive and Carter G Woodson (bulk water) Middle School on Winston Churchill Drive. Customers will be able to obtain either one case of bottled water at the high school, or 10 gallons of bulk water, using their own containers, at the middle school.

Customers will be notified if a boil water advisory is needed, and updates will be provided through the Virginia American Water website at www.virginiaamwater.com, under the Alert Notifications section.

“Virginia American Water is very grateful to all our customers for their patience and understanding, while we work through this difficult situation, and we apologize for the incredible inconvenience the loss of water today has caused throughout Hopewell,” said Virginia American Water President William R. Walsh.

For the most up-to-date information, customers are urged to contact Virginia American Water’s customer service center at 1-800-452-6863.

Virginia American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water services to more than 339,000 people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in more than 45 states and parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.