Rapidan Service Authority issues ‘do not use water’ advisory for Orange-area customers

ORANGE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Rapidan Service Authority (RSA), which provides both water and sewer services to a variety of homes and businesses in the area of Orange County, has issued a “do not use water” advisory — meaning affected customers should have zero contact with tap water.

According to an Aug. 22 joint press release from the RSA and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), RSA customers in the following areas are being told to not use their water for any purposes:

• Lake of the Woods subdivision
• Wilderness Shores
• Somerset
• Edgewood
• Germanna Heights
• Twin Lakes
• Germanna Community College, Locust Grove Campus

Additionally, two shopping centers with several restaurants along Route 3 are also affected, though the release did not specify which.

Those in these areas should not have contact with tap water for any reason. This includes things like drinking, washing and cooking. Toilets can be flushed, according to the release.

“Those affected should not try to treat the water themselves,” the RSA and VDH said in the release. “Boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letting the water stand will not make the water safe.”

The RSA is reportedly working to make bottled water available to affected customers.

“An alert will be sent out and the RSA website updated to show when and where it will be available for pick up,” the RSA and VDH said in the release. “Please register for alerts on RSA’s website ( www.rapidan.org/subscribe ).”

This is a result of RSA being told that the owner of the Wilderness water treatment plant — which services the above areas — received complaints of “an unknown odor.” This waterworks serves the areas mentioned above.

A joint investigation has been opened into the odor, with the RSA, the VDH, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and the Virginia Department of General Services Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) all participating.

“Identification of these contaminants is not known at this time,” the RSA and VDH said in the release. “RSA has collected these samples and sent them to Richmond for further analysis. Additional samples were collected on the evening of August 21. Test results can take up to 48 hours for results. RSA will be conducting another round of samples Friday.”

Given its proximity to Orange, the Spotsylvania County government issued the following statement regarding what those who live in Spotsylvania or the city of Fredericksburg need to know at this time:

“Spotsylvania County and the City of Fredericksburg are aware of the current situation in Orange County, Virginia regarding the Rapidan Service Authority in its response to water quality concerns from a water source, which is the Rapidan River that flows into the Rappahannock River. Currently, the Motts Run Water Treatment Plant, which provides drinking water to the City of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County, is utilizing the Motts Run Reservoir as its sole source of raw water while the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality complete their investigation along the Rapidan River. There is no impact to public drinking water customers in Spotsylvania and the City of Fredericksburg.”

Spotsylvania County Government

For more information, contact the RSA at 540-972-2133. You can also check the RSA’s website for ongoing updates. The VDH can also be contacted via phone at 877-829-4682 (option 2).

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