Richmond, Virginia residents were told Wednesday to "continue to boil water" until city officials could get operations back online after a power outage.

Past inspections cited Richmond water plant for deteriorating equipment Inspection reports obtained by CBS 6 revealed that Richmond's Department of Public Utilities has been previously cited for failures related to its emergency planning and deteriorating equipment.

Richmond’s recent water crisis left residents scrambling for drinkable water for days after a winter storm knocked out power at the water treatment plant, triggering a backup system failure and major flooding.

Richmond City officials have hired an engineering firm to conduct an independent investigation of what led to the recent water crisis.

The City of Richmond encourages residents to buy locally from businesses impacted by the water crisis earlier this month.