September 25, 2024
Media Contact: Tristen Franklin, Tristen.Franklin@vdh.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Health Releases Investigative Summary Report for Rapidan Service Authority Objectionable Odor Event
ORANGE COUNTY, Va. – The Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Office of Drinking Water (ODW) has released an Investigative Summary Report concluding the investigation into the Rapidan Service Authority (RSA) objectionable odor event that began August 21.
The report shows that following an investigation, in cooperation with RSA, VDH ODW determined that a catastrophic failure of a raw water pump at the intake from the Rapidan River caused the objectionable odor. The catastrophic pump failure occurred on August 20, the day before customers noticed the objectionable odor.
When the pump failed, about two to three gallons of food grade mineral oil were released. The mineral oil was likely thermally altered, burned, or scorched from the catastrophic pump failure causing the “WD-40-like” objectionable odor. The food grade mineral oil did not pose a threat to public health based on toxicology reviews, epidemiological monitoring, and sampling results.
The full report, which can be found on the incident webpage, outlines the details of the multi-agency response and the complete investigation, which include the expertise of a taste and odor expert in Texas. State agencies had 98 total samples analyzed for more than 2,357 individual analyte results. Analyses included 21 published analytical methods by certified laboratories and six research or pending publication methods.
“The Office of Drinking Water looks forward to working with the Rapidan Service Authority to address recommendations, findings, and learning lessons from the investigation so that this type of event does not happen again,” said Director of Office of Drinking water Dwayne Roadcap. “The community must have a trusted and safe water supply. The community must have confidence in the Rapidan Service Authority’s ability to effectively deliver affordable and quality drinking water that continues to meet public health standards and community expectations.”
The report also includes recommendations from ODW to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. Top recommendations include:
- RSA to routinely and regularly monitor its raw water,
- RSA to add additional treatment processes, such as granular or powdered activated carbon,
- RSA to implement stronger communication protocols,
- RSA to improve oversight of contractors, and
- RSA to develop a comprehensive emergency response plan to prevent and respond to future incidents.
“RSA intends to thoroughly evaluate and implement the necessary protocols to prevent anything like this from occurring again in the future.” said RSA General Manager Tim Clemons. “RSA is committed to operating the Wilderness water system in the best manner possible and meeting the needs of our customers. It is our goal to provide both the best water that we can, as well as providing excellent customer service to those we serve. We want to thank the many customers that have interacted with our staff, both on the phone and in person, during the recent odor event.”
The objectionable odor event began on Wednesday, August 21, when a Do Not Use Water Advisory was issued by RSA, the owner of the Wilderness Water Treatment Plant (WTP), in coordination with the VDH, out of an abundance of caution following multiple reports of an odor in the drinking water. On Saturday, August 24, as the objectionable odor continued to dissipate, the advisory was changed, in coordination with VDH, to a Do Not Drink Water Advisory after comprehensive water sampling showed that the Wilderness water system complied with federal and state drinking water standards and was not a public health risk. The Do Not Drink Water Advisory was lifted Tuesday, August 27 after the odor dissipated at the water treatment plant and in the distribution system. Laboratory sampling data over multiple days continually demonstrated that the drinking water fully complied with federal and state drinking water standards.
VDH completed this investigation with the assistance of RSA, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), the Virginia Department of General Services Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Orange County. Special thanks to City of Wichita Falls, Texas taste and odor expert J. Hunter Adams, M.S., Virginia Tech’s Andrea Dietrich, Ph.D., and Texas State University’s Keisuke Ikehata, Ph.D.
For additional information about this event, please visit the incident webpage.
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