Richmond officials selected an engineering firm to investigate the city’s water crisis earlier this month, according to Mayor Danny Avula. HNTB, an Arlington-based engineering consulting firm, will investigate how a power outage at Richmond’s water treatment plant left residents without safe drinking water for nearly a week.

Richmond has contracted with two consulting firms to investigate both the water crisis and the city's emergency response to it. Why it matters: It's one step closer to residents finding out what really happened and why social media seemed to know about the water running out hours before officials informed the public.