October 2024: Boil Water Notice In Effect

Water at the facility operated by the New River Valley Regional Water Authority began experiencing high turbidity numbers the morning of September 28, 2024. It is believed that with the rapid rising of the New River water levels from Hurricane Helene, sediment entered our water treatment facility. The facility was able to treat the water until a combination of high turbidity, low pH and low alkalinity caused the facility to not treat the water properly.  

The NRV Regional Water Authority tests its water daily. The facility has online instrumentation that measures water quality parameters continuously. Samples are pulled throughout the treatment process and tested to confirm online instrumentation. Other additional tests are performed on a routine basis (daily, twice a day, and every 2 hours, respectively.) for other water quality parameters. On average, over 60 tests are performed daily on the Authority’s water in addition to the online instrumentation continuously measuring water quality parameters.

Turbidity is a term used in water treatment to best describe water quality and water clarity. Turbidity relates to the cloudiness or haziness of water. According to the VDH New River Health District, turbidity does not mean bacteria are in the water supply. The VDH New River Health District conducts regular surveillance watching for any increase in illness in our community suggesting bacteria in the water supply. At this time, the New River Health District is not seeing illness related to the New River Valley Regional Water Authority’s water supply.

The Virginia Department of Health Office of Drinking Water (VDH-ODW) continues to closely monitor our water supply and the water testing that is being conducted by the New River Valley Regional Water Authority, as well as all the Towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Virginia Tech and the Montgomery County Public Service Authority. While the boil water notice is in effect for cooking and consumption, the water is safe for showering, bathing, cleaning, and washing clothes or washing dishes by hand or with a dishwasher.

In short, the reason we are on a boil water notice and some of our neighboring localities are not is based on two things:

1. The impact of the storm and the amount of debris concentrated near the area of the New River where we source our water, and
2. The flooding affected the New River Valley Regional Water Authority’s treatment capacity, which had a direct impact on providing adequate supply.

The boil water notice will continue for some areas at least through Oct. 12 or 13.

The New River Valley Regional Water Authority has been working diligently around the clock to restore normal operations in the wake of Hurricane Helene. All water samples tested since October 1 at the water treatment facility demonstrate water quality meets or exceeds Virginia Department of Health - Office of Drinking Water (VDH-ODW) requirements. However, water quality tests throughout the entire water distribution and storage systems must pass established VDH-ODW standards before the boil water notice can be lifted.

The next step is to flush all local systems. That process will begin upstream in the Town of Christiansburg, continuing downstream in the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech, and then Montgomery County. We anticipate that sequential process began on October 3.

In addition to flushing each system, per VDH-ODW requirements water storage tanks must be disinfected before final samples can be taken. To ensure continuous water capacity throughout the process, the disinfection of tanks must be staggered. In other words, all the tanks cannot be drained, cleaned and disinfected at the same time. This process takes a minimum of 74 hours per tank, which means the boil water notice will continue until at least Oct. 12 or 13 for some areas.

While flushing takes place, water customers may experience discoloration in their water but they should simply follow the boil water notice for cooking and consumption. Again, the water is safe for showering, bathing, cleaning, and washing clothes or washing dishes by hand or with a dishwasher.

Citizens who have signed up to receive alerts through the Citizens Alert system will be notified per their communication preference (phone, text, email, etc.) In addition, information will be shared with local media outlets, on social media and on the websites of the Towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Virginia Tech and Montgomery County.

Updates related to the boil water notice will be shared at montva.com. 

As part of ongoing efforts, the Authority performs rigorous testing of water quality on a daily basis to ensure compliance with all Virginia Department of Health – Office of Drinking Water (VDH-ODW) requirements.

The Authority uses online instrumentation to continuously monitor water quality parameters, and additional tests are performed at various points throughout the treatment process to verify the accuracy of these measurements. Various tests are conducted daily, twice per day and some every two hours.  On average, more than 60 water quality tests are conducted each day, supplementing the continuous monitoring from online instrumentation. 

The Authority has a separate in-house laboratory that is certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS).  In the lab, an average of 135 bacteriological tests are performed each month on the water treated at the facility and at specific site locations throughout Christiansburg, Blacksburg, Montgomery County, and Virginia Tech.  These test results are reported to VDH-ODW so they can monitor the performance of the system per treatment requirements established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 

View the Authority’s water treatment process for more information. 

Before the current boil water notice can be lifted, the New River Valley Regional Water Authority will conduct between 150 to 200 dedicated water sample tests across the regional system. These tests will focus on ensuring all water quality parameters meet safety standards and confirm the absence of any harmful contaminants.  In the coming days, dozens of tests will be carried out in the water distribution systems and storage facilities across the Authority’s service area.  These tests are critical to ensure the safety of the entire water system.

The New River Valley Regional Water Authority is committed to transparency and will make ongoing water testing data publicly available.  These test results will be posted on the New River Valley Water Authority’s website at https://nrvwater.org. Community members are encouraged to review these results as ongoing work continues to ensure the safety of our water supply.

The Boil Water Notice remains in effect.  We thank the public for their patience and cooperation during this period and offer assurance we are taking every prudent step possible to provide fully safe drinking water.

For further information or questions, please contact the New River Valley Regional Water Authority.

The water is safe for showering, bathing, cleaning, and washing clothes or washing dishes by hand or with a dishwasher.

Bathing/Showering

There is no need to boil water for bathing or showering. Adults, teens, and older children, can shower or bathe, though they should avoid getting water in the mouth or swallowing the water. Infants and toddlers should be sponge bathed. No special soaps are necessary.

Special note: However, care should be taken to prevent water from getting into deep open or post-surgical wounds. Consult your physician or health care provider for wound care instructions.

Washing dishes by hand or with a dishwasher

You do not need to boil your water prior to using it to wash your dishes. You can wash your dishes with hot tap water using anti-bacterial soap. The Virginia Health Department states you can use your tap water to wash and rinse the dishes as you normally would using hot water. Or, you can choose to add a tablespoon of household bleach such as Clorox to a sink full of warm tap water and soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute. After you wash the dishes, allow dishes and utensils to air dry completely before reuse.

If you use an electric dishwasher, but be sure to use it with its heating elements turned on. If your dishwasher reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Celsius) or if it has a sanitizing cycle option, it is generally safe to use. If you are unsure if your dishwasher has these features, after a washing cycle, you may rinse your dishes in a sink full of warm tap water with a tablespoon of bleach added and air dry completely for extra precaution. 

Coffee and other hot beverages
You will need to heat your water to boiling (212 Degrees Fahrenheit) for at least a minute prior to consuming it.

Source: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/drinking-water/boil-water-faqs/

Per the New River Valley Regional Water Authority, water that was treated up to when the boil water notice was issued met the regulations. However, water that was working its way to the system as the boil water notice was issued did not meet the regulations. Per the New River Valley Regional Water Authority, it takes time for the water to make its way out into the system, which is why they issued the boil water notice when they did out of an abundance of caution for our community’s public health and safety.

The boil water notice issued by the New River Valley Regional Water Authority applies to their customers. The New River Valley Regional Water Authority supplies water to the Town of Blacksburg, the Town of Christiansburg, Virginia Tech, and the Montgomery County Public Service Authority. If you own a private well and have questions about your water supply, please contact the Montgomery County Health Department at contactnrhd@vdh.virginia.gov or 540-585-3300.

Follow these instructions to flush the water throughout your home, restaurant, place of business or other location once an advisory has been lifted.

1. Run outside taps for approximately 10 minutes to bring fresh water from the water main to the property.
2. If you have any cartridge filtration systems treating the water coming into the house, replace the filter(s) before consuming.
3. If you have a water softener treating the water coming into the house, perform a regeneration/backwash cycle to bring fresh water from the property to the treatment system.
4. Run all cold-water faucets in your home for one minute to bring fresh water from the property or treatment systems into the cold-water plumbing inside the house.
   Start at the faucet closest to the connection of the water line into the house and proceed to faucets on lower levels of the house and then upper levels of the house.
5. Clean any aerators on faucets.
6. Run the hot water in a tub for 10 minutes to replace water in the hot water heater.

The flushing and sanitizing of water tanks and lines happens methodically through the system, beginning at the points closest to the water treatment facility. Lifting the boil water advisory in a specific area depends on successful testing to confirm the absence of bacteria in the water distribution and storage systems. This phased approach aims to lift the advisory as safely and rapidly as possible.

As of Oct. 8: Pending final test results, below please find the updated timeline to lift the boil water advisory throughout the New River Valley Regional Water Authority’s service area:

• Montgomery County PSA Customers (remaining service areas):
  • Oct. 9: Bethel
  • Oct. 9: Mud Pike
  • Oct. 9: Plum Creek
  • Oct. 9: Riner
  • Oct. 13: Alleghany Springs
  • Oct. 13: Elliston
  • Oct. 13: Lafayette
  • Oct. 13: Shawsville
• Town of Christiansburg (remaining service areas):
  • Oct. 11
• Town of Blacksburg
  • Oct. 11
• Virginia Tech
  • Oct. 11