About This Report

The Western Virginia Water Authority supplies customers in the City of Roanoke and the Counties of Roanoke, Franklin and Botetourt with an annual water quality report. This provides you with information about the source of your water, what it contains and how it compares to the standards set by regulatory agencies based on data collected during calendar year 2020 or the most recent testing period.

The Water Quality Division of the Western Virginia Water Authority is pleased to deliver safe drinking water. Once again, the Water Authority is in full compliance with all state and federal monitoring and reporting requirements.

On July 1, 2004 the Western Virginia Water Authority was formed from the former utility departments of the City of Roanoke and Roanoke County. In November 2009 Franklin County joined the Water Authority. Botetourt County joined in 2015 offering a larger regional approach to meeting the communities’ water and wastewater needs.

The Authority has earned the highest industry awards for both water and wastewater, implemented energy saving measures across all departments, focused on cleaning the sanitary sewer lines and rehabilitating aging water distribution pipes.

Reaching out to the Western Virginia Water Authority

Executive Director

The Western Virginia Water Authority’s Executive Director, Michael McEvoy, oversees the daily treatment and delivery of 19-million gallons of drinking water and the collection and treatment of 37-million gallons of wastewater a day.

Authority Board of Directors

The Western Virginia Water Authority’s Board of Directors, appointed by the member localities, governs the Authority. Representatives from the City of Roanoke include Mr. John P. Bradshaw, Jr., Mr. Bob Cowell and Mr. Harvey Brookins. The Roanoke County representatives include Mr. Don Davis, Mr. Dan O’Donnell and Mr. Randall Hancock. Mrs. Shirley Holland represents Franklin County, and Mr. Hunter Young represents Botetourt County.

Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month (with the exception of August and December) at 601 S. Jefferson Street. The Board meetings are open to the public.

Customer Service

Our customer service representatives are available Monday-Friday from 8am - 5pm. If you have a water or sewer emergency after hours, calls to the Water Authority are answered by Roanoke County’s 911 Dispatch Center. 540.853.5700 | info@westernvawater.org

601 S. Jefferson Street • Suite 200 • Roanoke, VA 24011 www.westernvawater.org

connect with us

Table of Contents

2021 Water Quality Report

Testing Your Water

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.

More information about drinking water is available through these sources

Virginia Department of Health: (Roanoke & Botetourt area) 540.463.7136

Virginia Department of Health: (Franklin County) 434.836.8416

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: 1.800.311.3435 404.639.3311 or 404.639.3312 (TTY)

Roanoke Environmental Health Department: 540.857.7663

EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 800.426.4791

How are the standards set?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) at very stringent levels. In developing the standards, EPA assumes that the average adult drinks 2 liters of water each day throughout a 70-year life span. EPA generally sets MCLs at levels that will result in no adverse health effects for some contaminants or a one-in-ten-thousand to one-in-one-million chance of having the described health effect for other contaminants.

The tables of data on pages 10 -39 summarize water-testing results from 2020 or the most recent reporting year for both regulated and non-regulated substances. Many other primary and secondary contaminants have been analyzed but were either below the instrument’s detection limits or below the MCLs.

There is no State or Federal MCL for sodium. Monitoring is required to provide information to consumers and health officials that are concerned about sodium intake due to dietary restrictions. The EPA recommended optimal level of sodium is less than 20 ppm, established for people on a “strict” sodium intake diet. The amount of sodium detected in each water system is listed in the data charts.

The Western Virginia Water Authority constantly monitors its water supplies for various contaminants to meet all regulatory requirements. All regulated substances must be tested annually (or triennially) for small systems) except for lead and copper and SOCs, which must be tested every three years, and radiologicals, which must be tested every six to nine years. The TTHMs/HAA5s were derived from running annual averages.

Cryptosporidium & Giardia

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are microscopic organisms that can cause fever, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms when ingested. The organisms come from animal and human wastes and are eliminated through water filtration and disinfection. Even though the presence of these organisms is not regulated by the state or federal government, the Water Authority has tested for these organisms. Giardia, 0.2 cyst per 1 liter, was detected in the raw (untreated) water at Falling Creek in March 2016 and 8 cyst per 1 liter in June 2017. Cryptosporidium was detected in the raw (untreated) water at Carvins Cove (0.1 cyst per 1 liter in January 2016 and 0.1 cyst per 1 liter in February 2016).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons, such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

What Causes Discolored Water?

Changes in water pressure in water systems, such as when water mains break or fire hydrants are used or flushed, can occasionally cause drinking water to be discolored. The discoloration is caused by sediments in pipes mixing with clear water. The sediments occur naturally from the oxidation of iron in pipes.

While discolored water is ordinarily safe to drink, it is best to flush any discolored water from pipes by turning on all cold-water faucets in your home or business. Avoid turning on hot-water faucets so the discolored water is not drawn into water heaters.

If you notice evidence of a water main break or leaking fire hydrant, please call 540.853.5700.

What is my Water Hardness?

As water naturally flows over rocks and through the soil, it picks up minerals. The more calcium and magnesium present, the harder your water. While water hardness is not a safety issue, you may notice increased mineral build-up or soap residue with harder water. Hardness can be expressed as PPM - parts per million or GPG - grains per gallon.

Lead & Copper Testing

Quality water begins at the source. It is important that the Western Virginia Water Authority knows and understands the water chemistry from each source, closely monitors the treatment process and understands the pipe material that the water can flow through. This is especially important regarding lead and copper.

Copper is a nutritionally essential element, but at high levels, copper can cause gastrointestinal difficulties such as nausea and diarrhea. Elevated levels of lead, if present, can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily associated with materials and components in service lines and home plumbing.

The Authority maintains over 1500 miles of pipes up to and including the lines going to the customer’s water meter. Pipe materials in our system can be cast iron, ductile iron or pvc. We do not know of any lead pipes in our distribution system. However, customers, particularly those in older homes, may have lead plumbing in their homes or pipes that were joined with lead solder.

We treat the water with corrosion control or adjust the pH of the water so that pipes in our distribution system and the customers’ pipes in their homes are protected.

The Western Virginia Water Authority is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting in your pipes for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.

Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Terms Used in This Water Quality Report

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant that triggers treatment or other requirement that a water system must follow.

Combined Radium: Radium 226 + Radium 228

E. coli: Bacteria from human and animal fecal waste

HAA5s: Haloacetic acids.

LRAA: Locational Running Annual Average

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL):

The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLG as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfection Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfection allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

mg/L: Milligrams per liter, also referred to as parts per million (for example, one minute in two years).

ND: Analyte was not detected or was below the method detection limit of the laboratory’s instrumentation.

NTUs: Nephelometric Turbidity Units; a measure of

turbidity.

P/A: Present or Absent

pCi/L: Picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

ppm: One part per million, also referred to as mg/L, (for example, one minute in two years).

ppb: One part per billion, also referred to as μg/L (for example, one minute in 2,000 years).

TTHMs: Total Trihalomethanes

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

μg/L: Micrograms per liter, also referred to as parts per billion (for example, one minute in 2,000 years).

μmhos/cm: Micromhos per centimeter; a measure of conductivity.

Source Water Assessment

As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Water from surface sources is treated to make it drinkable while groundwater may or may not require any treatment.

Contaminants in source water may be naturally occurring substances, or may come from:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife;
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming;
• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses;
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; and
• Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

The Western Virginia Water Authority has worked with the Virginia Department of Health to determine our water sources susceptibility to contaminants. The assessment is a requirement of the Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) in accordance with the 1996 Amendments of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The assessment determined that Crystal Spring, Falling Creek and Carvins Cove are susceptible to contamination based on land use activities and potential types of contaminants in these areas. This designation does not mean that the source water has been impacted or that it will be impacted. It does mean that if there is a release of pollutants in the assessment area, the source water could be impacted.

The VDH also completed a source water assessment of Spring Hollow Reservoir’s water source, the Roanoke River. This assessment determined that the Roanoke River may be susceptible to contamination because it is surface water exposed to a wide array of contaminants at varying concentrations. Also, changing hydrologic, hydraulic and atmospheric conditions promote migration of contaminants from land use activities of concern.

The assessment also determined that the Water Authority’s wells might be susceptible to contamination because they are located in areas that promote migration of contaminants from land use activities of concern. More specific information about these reports may be obtained by contacting the Western Virginia Water Authority’s Water Quality Division at 540.853.5700.

6

Backflow Prevention &

Cross-Connection Identification

A plumbing cross-connection is an actual or potential connection between the public water supply and any source of contamination or pollutant. Without proper plumbing precautions, contaminated substances could backflow into the public system and your drinking water supply through this connection.

Water travelling through the Authority’s distribution system is pressurized. If the water system loses pressure, such as during a water main break, system maintenance or fire hydrant usage/testing, the flow of the water may be reversed. If a customer has made a cross-connection with hazardous substances or even non potable water, these substances can backflow into the public water system and create a risk to public health.

What You Can Do To Protect

Your Drinking Water

Help us identify potential locations where backflow can occur. You can complete a simple Backflow Prevention Survey on-line at www.

westernvawater.org.

If necessary, contact the Water Authority to schedule a free assessment with our staff to assist you in finding and removing any potential cross-connection sources.

Remove any cross-connections you find or install backflow prevention devices (available at hardware stores) where needed. A Water Authority representative is available to assist you with this process if needed.

If you have a backflow prevention device installed by a certified plumber, have it tested annually or after any repairs.

Questions about backflow prevention? email us at backflow@westernvawater.org call us at 540.853.5700

Carvins Cove

Reservoir &

Treatment Facility

Carvins Cove Reservoir is situated within Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, a 12,672-acre watershed near Hollins University in Botetourt County. The land in the reserve above the 1,200-foot contour is owned and managed by the City of Roanoke. The land below this elevation, and the reservoir, are owned and operated by the Western Virginia Water Authority. In addition to receiving water from the watershed, the reservoir is fed from two underground tunnels that carry overflow from Tinker and Catawba Creeks. This surface water source covers 630 acres and stores 6.42-billion gallons of water at full pond.

How is it treated? Carvins Cove Water Treatment Facility has the capacity to treat 24-million gallons of water from the reservoir every day. Annual production averaged 6.9-million gallons per day. The water is first oxygenated and treated with sodium permanganate to oxidize dissolved organic matter, iron and manganese. Water is aerated to remove unwanted dissolved gases and to oxidize dissolved metals, which reduces any unpleasant tastes and odors. Flash mixing of chemicals is the next step, where ferric sulfate is added to coagulate suspended particles. Water then flows into settling basins where the particles clump together, become heavy and settle to the bottom of the basins. Next, the water is filtered through sand and anthracite and disinfected with chlorine. Fluoride is added to promote strong teeth. Sodium hydroxide is added to adjust the pH and reduce corrosivity, and orthophosphate is added to control corrosion in pipes.

Where does it serve? A large part of the northeastern and northwestern parts of the city, and the majority of the southeastern part of the city, to Reserve Avenue, are served by Carvins Cove. Portions of northern and northeastern Roanoke County are also served by the Carvins Cove water source. Water from Carvins Cove also serves the Botetourt area around Exit 150 to Tinkerview and Greenfield.

Many other primary and secondary contaminants have been analyzed but were either below the instrument’s detection limits or below the Maxium Contaminant Levels (MCLs). The Virginia Department of Health advised that the MCL for total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) was exceeded because the running annual average exceeded the MCL at one monitoring location in the Etzler Road area of Botetourt. Disinfectants used in the treatment of drinking water react with naturally occurring organic matter present in the water to form trihalomethanes. These results are averaged with the previous three quarters of results to determine the system’s running annual average at each sampling location. Because the running annual average exceeded the 80 ppb MCL at the sampling location, the Authority was deemed out of compliance with TTHM standards. Operation changes included adding a mechnical mixing system and increased monitoring. Water treated at the Carvins Cove Treatment Facility meets all state and federal monitoring and reporting requirements.

Carvins Cove Natural Reserve

www.westernvawater.org/carvinscove

Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, the second largest municipal park in the United States, offers outdoor recreation opportunities, including boating, fishing, hiking, paddleboarding and nature viewing. You can bring your own boat or rent kayaks and jon boats at the reservoir.

Visitors to the Natural Reserve are charged $7 per vehicle for daily use or annual passes are available for $50. Payment drop boxes are located at the Bennett Springs, Hollins Trailhead and Timberview parking lots, or passes can be purchased from the Security Office on Reservoir Road. For more information, call the Natural Reserve at 540.362.1757.

Roanoke Systems

Crystal Spring flows at the base of Mill Mountain in the southern part of the city. Annual production from this groundwater source was 4.8-million gallons of water a day.

How is it treated ? The water is filtered in the Crystal Spring Ultrafiltration Treatment Facility which filters out all particles larger than 0.01 micron. One micron is one thousandth of a millimeter. Filtered water is treated with chlorine and fluoride and pumped to water customers from the Crystal Spring Pumping Station.

Where does it serve? Crystal Spring serves portions of southwest Roanoke County and the southwestern part of the city. With the capacity to filter five-million gallons of water a day, Crystal Spring Treatment Facility is the largest ultrafiltration plant in western Virginia.

Tests for volatile organics (VOCs), pesticides and synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) have been conducted, and all met current state and federal standards for drinking water.

Many other primary and secondary contaminants have been analyzed but were either below the instrument’s detection limits or below the MCLs.

Water treated at the Crystal Spring Treatment Facility meets all state and federal monitoring and reporting requirements.

Falling Creek &

Beaverdam Creek

Reservoirs

Roanoke Systems

Falling Creek Reservoir is a surface water source located in Bedford County east of Vinton. It covers 21 acres and stores 85-million gallons of water at full pond. It is fed by Beaverdam Creek Reservoir, which covers 69 acres and stores 435-million gallons of water at full pond.

How is it treated? The treatment process of this water source is similar to that of Spring Hollow Treatment Facility. The treatment capacity is 1.5-million gallons a day. Sodium hydroxide is added for pH adjustment and zinc ortho-phosphate is used as a corrosion inhibitor.

Where does it serve? Falling Creek Water Treatment Facility serves King Street northeast to Route 460, along Route 24 to 13th Street and east on Route 24 to Stewartsville. Falling Creek was not utilized during 2020. Residents in the Falling Creek service area received water from the Carvins Cove system.

Many other primary and secondary contaminants have been analyzed but were either below the instrument’s detection limits or below the MCLs.

The Muse Spring Water Treatment Facility (WTF), located at the site of Muse Spring on Riverland Road, treats raw water from Muse Spring and Garden City Well No. 3. This facility has the capacity to treat 2-million gallons per day.

How is it treated? The water is filtered in the Muse Spring Ultrafiltration Treatment Facility which filters out all particles larger than 0.01 micron. One micron is one thousandth of a millimeter. Filtered water is treated with chlorine, fluoride and orthophosphate and pumped to water customers from the Muse Spring Pumping Station.

Where does it serve? Muse Spring ties directly into the existing Authority distribution system and will help serve the eastern portion of the Carvins Cove service area southeast of downtown.

Many other primary and secondary contaminants have been analyzed but were either below the instrument’s detection limits or below the MCLs.

Water treated at the Muse Spring Treatment Facility meets all state and federal monitoring and reporting requirements.

Spring Hollow

Reservoir &

Treatment Facility