Early last year, Henrico County teenager Avyay Bharadwaj was one of hundreds of thousands of residents in the region suddenly forced to think about something often taken for granted: Clean water running from the tap.
A winter storm had shut down a Richmond treatment plant and left many without water access.
“Things like brushing my teeth, drinking water, cooking, everything — we had to boil water, and this was kind of a new experience for me,” said 16-year-old Bharadwaj, a rising senior in the International Baccalaureate program at J.R. Tucker High School.
“I wanted to understand why it happened, how it could be prevented in the future, and I kind of went down a rabbit hole.”
Bharadwaj became fascinated by the municipal water system and ended up interning with Henrico’s public utilities department.
He also spent the past year and a half developing an online tool to give people more insight into their water.
It’s called AquaRisk. The website allows Virginians to type in their address and see a number estimating their water risk. The tool currently covers about 83% of the state, including Hampton Roads.
The risk score is based on three factors: The date the home was built, the pipe material and contaminants known to be present in the area.
“I realized most people don't actually know what's in the water they're drinking,” Bharadwaj said. “They're putting this in their body without actually having understanding of what they're actually doing to themselves. So I wanted to spread awareness and bring a light to that.”
For example, a pipe’s construction date helps indicate the potential risk of lead. The U.S. banned new lead pipes in 1986, making older systems more likely to be contaminated.
Bharadwaj used AI to assist with integrating public data from sources such as utilities, the Virginia Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency.
His website links to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database, which displays results of water testing at the city level. The database outlines potential effects of each present contaminant, such as chloroform and radium, and how much it exceeds health guidelines.
AquaRisk has limitations. Not all cities have the same level of detail in their data, for example. It can offer clues about potential risk but is not a conclusive assessment.
Bharadwaj said his goal is just to make public information easily accessible.
If your home has a high risk score, he suggests using the website’s “Act” tab for guidance to check official records, get a free water rest or apply for replacements.
Local organizations have taken notice of Bharadwaj’s work.
Rishonda Anthony, director of client services at project:Homes, said the nonprofit plans to include AquaRisk in its informational packets for clients.
The organization offers home repair for elderly, disabled and low-income people, mostly in the Richmond area, including lead paint remediation.
She said many older residents have become more adept at using the internet, and AquaRisk could provide easy access when they have questions about their home.
“I think it's important for people to know what they're drinking,” Anthony said, “especially if they have any sensitivities to any particular contaminants.”
Bharadwaj is interning as a research assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University, focused on particle filtration in water systems.
He hopes to soon apply to “all the top engineering schools in the country.”
You can access the tool at Aquarisk.app.
