ORANGE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Upgrades are underway at the Wilderness Water Treatment Plant in eastern Orange County, where catastrophic pump failures led to a mineral oil leak over the summer of 2024.
Though the Rapidan Service Authority, which provides Orange and Madison Counties with water and sewer services, had been planning improvements for years, the do-not-use incident and subsequent Virginia Department of Health report pushed a makeover to the top of the list. biofilter wastewater treatment
“Any time you have an unfortunate incident, that’s going to put a new focus on things,” said Orange County Administrator Ted Voorhees.
The Rapidan Service Authority is planning to expand the plant and add Granular Activated Carbon Filtration, which helps eliminate bad odors and taste.
Though the Department found that the mineral oil leak did not pose a health risk to those encountered it, they say it was responsible for the diesel-like smell.
“The aesthetic qualities of the water are really important,” said Dwayne Roadcap, Director of the Office of Drinking Water at the Virginia Department of Health. “It needs to look and taste like something you would consume.”
Roadcap says that they have been sitting down with the Rapidan Service Authority monthly to ensure that they stay on track.
The RSA has also pledged to check the raw water entering the Wilderness plant more consistently, which was one of the shortcomings identified in the Department’s investigation.
Another recommendation was for the RSA to improve their communications; while the RSA knew of a pump failure on August 20 and 24, it was not reported to the Department until September 4. Roadcap says the RSA has also installed a new notification system that better alerts customers to any updates.
“Running a water system is very complicated, and it’s not easy, and we need everyone working together to make sure that everyone receives water that they can trust,” Roadcap said.
But that does not come cheap. Tim Clemons, General Manager of the RSA, says the proposed rate adjustment for water for Locust Grove is currently 40% in 2025, with a 3% annual adjustment in the years 2026 -2029.
In addition, Lake of the Woods customers are likely to see additional surcharges for updates to a vacuum sewer system, from $7 per month to $10 per month.
In light of last week’s water outage in Richmond, Voorhees says it’s money well spent.
“I think one of the things people are talking about is how we may have under-invested in utilities in America at large, and when these kinds of incidents happen, it just underscores the need to push those projects forward,” Voorhees said.
To see the full list of proposed rate increases, click here.
The RSA is holding a hearing on February 6 at Locust Grove Middle School for customers to give feedback on the proposed rates.
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