UPDATE, 10:15 a.m. Thursday: A boil water notice in Montgomery County will continue at least through the weekend of Oct. 12 and 13.
The Montgomery County government made the announcement Thursday morning, just a day after the regional water authority’s executive director said residents would need to boil drinking water for “several more days.”
The boil water advisory includes the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg and the Virginia Tech campus. The New River Valley Regional Water Authority and its 11 member systems serve more than 50,000 people.
The county said the additional time is necessary to flush and disinfect the various water systems after historic flooding on the New River, caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, created what the county previously called “challenging water quality conditions.”
“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. … The water is safe for showering, bathing, cleaning, and washing clothes or washing dishes by hand or with a dishwasher,” the county said.
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The New River Valley Regional Water Authority’s boil water advisory in Montgomery County — including the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg and the Virginia Tech campus — will likely remain in place for “several more days,” the authority’s executive director said Wednesday.
The water authority issued the advisory Monday after historic flooding on the New River caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene created “challenging water quality conditions.”
The authority has since adjusted its water treatment process to address the problems, but further testing must be done before the advisory can be lifted, said executive director Caleb Taylor.
“Public health and safety is a priority, and we just want to be cautious,” Taylor said.
Boiling water kills bacteria and other organisms. Until the advisory is lifted, drinking tap water without boiling it first could cause stomach or gastrointestinal illness, the authority has said.
The New River Valley Regional Water Authority serves 11 separate water systems that provide water to at least 50,000 people, officials said at a virtual news conference Wednesday.
While the water treatment process has been appropriately adjusted, the authority must now flush and disinfect its lines, and then its member systems must do the same, Taylor said.
Those member water systems then must collect about 150 to 200 water samples altogether to test them for harmful bacteria. Once the water passes testing, the boil water advisory can be lifted.
“It’s going to be, I would say, several more days of flushing and testing in order for us to be able to get to the point where we can lift this boil water advisory,” Taylor said.
Water systems that are farther down the line, such as in Christiansburg and Elliston, will take longer to be cleaned and tested because upstream systems must be cleared first, said David Dawson, regional director for the Abingdon field office of the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water.
“It will take longer depending on where you are within Montgomery County. So it may be more than a few days for the extended system,” Dawson said.
VDH has not received any confirmed reports of illnesses caused by drinking water since the advisory was put in place, he said.
In the hours after the boil water notice was first issued, some Virginia Tech students’ parents called the health department with concerns that the students might be suffering gastrointestinal issues, but the department has not received any follow-up confirmations of illness, Dawson said.
Local hospitals have not reported any widespread illness associated with drinking water, said Montgomery County spokesperson Jennifer Harris.
The regional boil water advisory appears to be unprecedented. Lisa Crabtree, district engineer in the Abingdon field office, said there are no documented previous boil water advisories for the New River Valley Regional Water Authority.
To properly sanitize tap water, the authority advises bringing it to a rolling boil, letting it boil for one minute, and letting it cool before using.
“Use caution boiling water; let water cool before attempting to move the container to avoid spills, scalds and burns. Boil amounts of water that you can safely handle,” the authority said in its advisory.
If you can’t boil water, you can instead use recently purchased household bleach that is free of additives and scents and has a hypochlorite solution of at least 5.25%. Add eight drops of bleach, or about one-quarter of a teaspoon, to a gallon of water, stir it and let it sit for 30 minutes, the authority said.
Water purification tablets can also be used.
