City Council

409 S. Main Street City of Harrisonburg Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Meeting Minutes - Final City Council Friday, May 16, 2025 12:00 PM Council Chambers 1. Roll Call Present: 4- Mayor Deanna R. Reed, Vice-Mayor Dany Fleming, Council Member Laura Dent and Council Member Monica Robinson Absent: 1- Council Member Nasser Alsaadun Also Present: 5- City Manager Ande Banks, City Attorney Chris Brown, City Clerk Pam Ulmer, Deputy Police Chief Rod Pollard and Chief Matthew Tobia 2. Regular Items 2.a. Consider adopting a resolution to Consider a Declaration of Local Emergency Related to Recent and Potential Severe Weather Events Effects on the Harrisonburg Water Treatment Plant. Mr. Collins stated we have had heavy rains over the last several days in the surrounding areas and it has resulted in high turbidity in our raw water supply at Dry River and at North River. He stated turbidity refers to amounts of particles and sediments like silt, clay, organics, inorganics, and other materials that are present in our water. He stated these particles need to be removed from the raw water as part of our treatment plant in order to make it safe for our customers. The chemical water treatment plant techniques used in treating turbidity are not something that's uncommon to us. However, the chemical treatment processes that are commonly used to eliminate these high turbidities have been less effective on many of the batches that we've received into the water treatment plant since the morning of May 14th, 2025. To retain our safe drinking water status, we've had to interrupt or reduce the output from the water treatment plant beginning May 15th, 2025. It continues to be unresponsive to the treatment to the level that we would prefer to be and reach and therefore it continues to limit our ability to put water out of the treatment facility. As of the morning of May 16th, 2025, the city's supply of water in storage has been greatly reduced even though we've taken many steps to mitigate those efforts over the last few days. Historically we would expect this source to return to a treatable status in short order, however, in the event that it does not, because of our reading storage, we are taking some extra precautionary actions until we can recover. Mr. Banks stated in consultation with our coordinator of Emergency Management, who is our Fire Chief and our office of Emergency Management with Mr. Helmuth, staff would like to propose a resolution that would move the city into a declaration of local emergency. He stated this simply opens up additional resources and City of Harrisonburg Page 1 Printed on 8/21/2025 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final May 16, 2025 reduces public procurement requirements if necessary. We don't feel that these measures are necessary at this time, we are not changing our messaging to our residents, and we are still in mandatory water restrictions, but this simply takes an action so that we can have access to additional resources if the time and situation calls for it. Mr. Banks read the resolution. Vice Mayor Fleming stated he appreciates the work that staff have been doing to try to mitigate an emergency and determine causes and potential remedies. Council Member Dent stated she would also like to thank the public for the conservation measures that they are doing in accordance with the mandatory conservation measures that have been requested; She reiterated the water is safe to drink, it's just the more we can conserve the more readily we can bring the whole water treatment system back online. Council Member Robinson stated in order for us to get where we need to be it's important that the citizens and our staff continue to do what's necessary for us to get over this, she urges everyone to take the extra step and follow the guidelines to help the city. Mayor Reed thanked staff for their tireless efforts; we appreciate all their hard work. The water is safe to use we just need the public to conserve it for right now. A motion was made by Vice-Mayor Fleming, seconded by Council Member Dent, to adopt the resolution as presented. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Vice-Mayor Fleming, Council Member Dent, Council Member Alsaadun and Council Member Robinson No: 0 3. Adjournment At 12:50 p.m., there being no further business and on motion adopted, the meeting was adjourned. ________________________ ________________________ CITY CLERK MAYOR City of Harrisonburg Page 2 Printed on 8/21/2025