Tests Show No "Volatile Organic Compounds" in Samples from Wilderness Water Treatment Plant
Rapidan Service Authority, which owns the plant, issued a Do Not Use tap water advisory earlier this week. A wider range of testing will be carried out today.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Tests conducted on samples from the Wilderness water treatment plant in eastern Orange County do not indicate the presence of any volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, the Rapidan Service Authority announced today.
However, hydrocarbons were found to be present, but the source is unknown.
VOCs are compounds that are responsible for the odor in scents, perfumes and pollutants. The Rapidan Service Authority, which owns the Wilderness treatment plant, issued a Do Not Use tap water advisory on Wednesday due to reports of “unknown odor” in the drinking water.
Because odor was the primary concern, the first round of tests sought to identify whether VOCs were present.
A subsequent round of testing confirmed that hydrocarbons—compounds found in crude oil, natural gas, and coal—were present.
Testing was conducted by a certified private lab on samples collected by a contractor with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, according to a press release from the Rapidan Service Authority.
The Service Authority is currently flushing water out of the distribution system and the Do Not Use advisory remains in effect.
A “multi-agency investigation into the origin of the odor will continue,” the press release states.
Orange County schools were closed today because of the water supply issue.
The Service Authority is distributing bottled water at Locust Grove Middle School, and Orange County has opened two locations—Locust Grove Primary School and Hornet Sports Center—where residents can refill their water bottles.
Shower access is also available at the Hornet Sports Center.
The Wilderness water treatment plant waterworks serve Lake of the Woods, Wilderness Shores, Somerset, Edgewood, Germanna Heights, Twin Lakes, Germanna Community College Locust Grove campus, and two shopping centers with several restaurants on Route 3.
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