US: Water outages, boil water advisories, continue in Richmond and nearby areas of Virginia, as of Jan. 8 /update 1

Officials in Richmond, Virginia, continue working to restore water distribution throughout the city as of Jan. 8, following problems in the city's water treatment plant, which began on Jan. 6. Authorities said as of 04:30 Jan. 8, that 12 filters and three pumps from the water plant had been restored, resuming operations almost back to normal levels. However, some areas still do not have water access, while others remain with low water pressure. A boil water advisory remains in place for all of Richmond.

Due to the water outages, the city's schools are canceled for Jan. 8, hospitals have seen their operations affected, and Virginia's General Assembly has postponed its sessions until Jan. 13.

Additionally, areas of eastern Henrico County also lost water access on Jan. 7; water was restored to areas west of Mechanicsville Turnpike early Jan. 8, but authorities said outages continue in areas to the east of the turnpike. County officials said where available, water is safe to drink, and there is no boil advisory in place. In Hanover County, officials issue a boil water advisory for residents east of Interstate Highway 95, excluding Doswell.

Commercial businesses that rely on large quantities of water may experience disruptions, including low water pressure until services are restored. Additional water outages are possible.