ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Western Virginia Water Authority is working to scale back the quantity of a chemical compound, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid, within the Spring Hole reservoir.

At Monday’s Roanoke Metropolis council assembly, the manager director of the water authority mentioned the division is growing water testing and sampling at Spring Hole, researching the compound and remodeling the present filtration program.

Western Virginia Water Authority discovered the chemical compound, HFPO-DA, or extra generally generally known as GenX, in Roanoke County’s essential supply of ingesting water. The director of public relations defined how the water authority first detected it again in 2021.

“After we first discovered it, it wasn’t a regulated compound, and didn’t have any well being requirements,” Sarah Baumgardner mentioned. “However we wished to know, the place did it come from and what may we do to do away with it.”

Preliminary investigations reveal the compound comes from the corporate, ProChem, Inc., discharging it into the Roanoke River. Throughout the newest testing pattern, the water authority discovered Spring Hole had 30-50 components per trillion of the compound in its reservoir.

“One half per trillion is equal to roughly one second in 32,000 years,” Baumgardner mentioned. “We’re speaking very, very small quantities right here.”

The compound stage present in Spring Hole is greater than 20 components increased than the Environmental Safety Company’s (EPA) advisable ranges of 10 components per trillion. The EPA issued a lifetime well being advisory again in June, saying long-term consumption of the compound may result in issues with liver and kidney features.

“EPA’s up to date PFAS well being advisories in June did embody a well being advisory for GenX however EPA has not had any communication with Western Virginia Water Authority,” EPA spokesperson Terri White mentioned in an announcement. “Virginia Division of Well being has been working with WVWA on GenX because the ingesting water main company for the final a number of weeks.”

The water authority has been working with the Virginia Division of Environmental High quality (DEQ) and the Division of Well being in the course of the ongoing investigations.

“[The Department of Environmental Quality] will proceed to observe for the compound in close by waters and can share extra info with all events because it turns into out there,” DEQ spokesperson Irina Calos mentioned in an announcement. “We recognize the Water Authority’s diligence in making certain the provision of protected ingesting water for purchasers.”

Baumgardner defined how the water authority is testing the reservoir water often.

“We’ve gotten the outcomes again from our early October testing and up to now, the completed ingesting water that we ship out to our prospects was round 8.4 components per trillion, beneath the ten [parts per trillion] new customary set by the EPA,” Baumgardner mentioned.

The work to take away the chemical compound is costing the water authority an estimated $1,000,000 per yr.

“I don’t assume it’s going to be a big impact on charges however it must be factored into our charges,” govt director Mike McEvoy mentioned.

The water authority despatched a letter to Prochem, Inc. telling them to cease discharging GenX again in October. That’s nonetheless an lively investigation.

Roanoke County and components of Franklin County have been receiving ingesting water from Carvin’s Cove whereas the water authority works to do away with the chemical in Spring Hole.

Nevertheless, the manager director mentioned at Monday’s metropolis council assembly, even with the degrees of the compound in water from Spring Hole, that water remains to be protected to drink.

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