Heflin Speaks With WTVR-TV About the Economic Impact of Richmond’s Water Crisis

January 16, 2025

WTVR-TV

Colleen Heflin

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Center for Policy Research

Food Security

Income

United States

Water

WTVR-TV

Colleen Heflin

A power outage during an early January winter storm caused a malfuntion in Richmond, Virginia's water reservoir system. Some residents were without water, while others were advised to conserve and boil it. Experts are concerned about the economic impacts this will have on both people and businesses.

“I really worry about low income households. January is a hard month for many low income households,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

Heflin says the factors that already made it that way include the cold weather driving up heating costs, which the storm likely made worse, and extra costs from the holidays.

“Adding another critical expense like water in there strikes me, it's really going to stretch some household budgets to the breaking point,” she says.

“That cost is going to push off other essential expenses. Some households are going to be forced to choose between buying or getting transportation to get to water and food or medical care,” says Heflin.