Help Stop Basin Lid Thefts

The city of Richmond is losing up to $1,000 a day from the theft of metal stormwater inlet basin tops. The thefts are becoming a safety hazard as well.

On Friday, Oct. 1, 2010, 16 tops were stolen from Castlewood Road on the Southside. Police were able to recover some of the tops from Smith Iron and Metal Company on Bells Road. A suspect was arrested as a result.

Missing basin tops are continually being reported. This is developing into an expensive problem for the city, with the hardest hit areas on the Southside and Church Hill. On Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010, the Department of Public Utilities received notice of five more missing tops.

If you see a missing basin top, call the Department of Public Utilities at 646-4646 and leave a message with the location of the open basin. If you observe any suspicious activity around a stormwater basin, call the police at 646-5100, or 9-1-1 if the theft is in progress.

Some of the missing basin tops on Castlewood Road

Recovering some of the missing basin lids from a metal salvage.

Lead and Copper in Your Pipes - What You Should Know

Although it is unlikely there are sufficient quantities of lead and copper in your drinking water to cause health problems, your home's plumbing could be depositing lead and copper in your water.

When your water has been sitting in your pipes for several hours—for instance in the morning, or when you return from work or a trip away from home—you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. Run the tap until the water becomes noticeably colder.

Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your family’s health. It uses less than one or two gallons of water and costs less than 42 cents per month. To conserve water while flushing, fill bottles for drinking water after you flush the tap and refrigerate. Use first-flush water to wash dishes or water plants.

Try not to cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water dissolves lead deposits in pipes faster than cold water. To heat water for cooking, draw it from the cold tap and heat it on the stove.

Lead soldering was banned in 1986.  If your copper pipes were joined illegally with lead solder, notify the plumber who did the work and request it be replaced with lead-free solder. Lead solder looks dull gray, and when scratched with a key, it appears shiny. If your home was built prior to 1986, have a licensed plumber or private home inspector inspect the lines, or have your water tested for lead and copper levels, and be sure to run your cold water tap for 30 seconds before using it for drinking or food preparation, and use hot water only for washing.

Consumer Confidence Reports on water quality are distributed annually to customers by the Richmond Department of Public Utilities and contain information on lead and copper levels.  Email dpuc@richmondgov.com to receive the latest copy.

Cleaning Catch Basins

One of the main tasks of the new Stormwater Division is to clean the catch basins. Basins get clogged with garbage that either sweeps into the basins during rainstorms or is thrown in by people. Vacuum trucks have to visit each catch basin in the city and vacuum the garbage and debris out to keep the stormwater water from backing up and flowing neighborhood streets.

Just beginning to fill up.

Full of trash (above). Vacuum truck cleaning catch basin (below).

Gas Main Renewal

The cast iron renewal project is a 40-year project to replace all the city's cast iron gas mains with heavy duty plastic, which is more efficient, durable, safe, and less likely to be damaged by underground water leaks. The city replaces approximately 18 miles of old piping a year and is currently halfway through the 40-year project. Part of the project includes reconnecting homes along the route to the new gas mains, and modifying or moving gas meters that were originally positioned in now inappropriate or unsafe locations.
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Richmond's Drinking Water

This water coming into the Water Treatment Plant from the James River becomes the clean, clear water that comes out of your faucet. Settling basins remove large and medium particles. Filtration removes small to minute particles, and aeration and disinfection improves the taste and kills bacteria. Chemicals are added to buffer water and provide dental protection. Did you know many children born and raised on Richmond water have few to no cavities?

New at the Shockoe Basin

The Shockoe Basin is a combined sewer and sanitary water facility on the north side of the James River. Combined sewer flow leaves Shockoe and crosses the James before entering the wastewater treatment plant on the south side of the river.

During dry weather, water flows pass this diversion structure directly to the treatment plant. During wet weather and high flows, some or most of the flow is diverted to this 35-million gallon basin where the flow is equalized on its way to the plant.

During 2009, improvements were made to the crossover chamber, allowing stormwater from Shockoe Bottom to be directed to the river without mixing with the combined sewer flows. This recent modification is for more efficient operation.

During 2010, the basin was cleaned. Because stormwater flow surges are diverted to and held at the basin, sediment collects there. An estimated 70,000 cubic yards of sediment was removed by the summer of 2010.

Diversion structure improvements during 2010 included refurbishing the bar screen rake in the west end of the structure to assist with the removal of debris, leaves and tree limbs from sewer flows.

Is Richmond water hard or soft?

Richmond's water hardness is slightly hard.

Hard water requires more soap and synthetic detergents for home laundry and washing and contributes to scaling in boilers and industrial equipment. Hardness is caused by compounds of calcium and magnesium, and by a variety of other metals.

Water is an excellent solvent and readily dissolves minerals it comes in contact with. As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals and holds them in solution. Calcium and magnesium dissolved in water are the two most common minerals that make water "hard."

The water produced by the city of Richmond is considered "slightly hard" to "moderately hard." Hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs.

But hard water makes it more difficult to wash your hair. Each hair shaft is made up of little scales, like roof shingles, and hard water makes the scales stand up. Your hair feels rough and tangly afterward, so you use a cream rinse to soften it. Since rainwater is soft, mineral-free water, try collecting it for a different hair-washing experience and then compare. How is it different? Can you notice?