Henrico to begin testing private wells in Eastern Henrico for potentially dangerous chemicals

Two sets of surface water tests of more than a dozen sites along the Chickahominy River basin and White Oak Swamp Creek in Eastern Henrico have confirmed high levels of potentially harmful chemicals known as PFAS, and Henrico County now is offering free testing of about 120 private wells in the area to determine if the chemicals are present there, too.

County officials will begin collecting samples from the wells of participating property owners (generally located south of I-295 near its interchange with I-64 interchange in Eastern Henrico) Dec. 3 and continue doing so through the following week. Results are expected within about two weeks of the testing. Homeowners in the area (shown above) can sign up for the testing by calling (804) 501-7540 or e-mailing water@henrico.us. Details also are available at https://henrico.us/utility/well-testing/.

In addition, Varina District Supervisor Tyrone Nelson will host a community meeting about the topic Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Seven Pines Elementary School, 301 Beulah Road, which also will be available online through WebEx.

PFAS (or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are long-lasting chemicals that don’t break down, and they can pose risks to anyone who drinks water that contains them, according to Virginia Department of Health State Public Health Toxicologist Dwight Flammia.

PFAS commonly are found in a variety of items, including non-stick cookware, certain carpet, fabric and food packaging and other products that are designed to resist liquids and stains.

Recent water tests conducted by Newport News Waterworks and later by the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality found PFAS levels in the region that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s February health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion.

“At this time, all of the elevated levels of PFAS have come from surface water, not groundwater,” Henrico Department of Public Utilities Director Bentley Chan said. “We want to be certain that there are no groundwater impacts. That’s why we are being proactive and taking the necessary steps to test individual wells.”

There is no risk to anyone in the county whose property is served by public water, Chan told the Citizen. County officials voluntarily participated in a VDH study of municipal drinking water in the state earlier this year (after the EPA had issued a health advisory about PFAS), testing three sites in the county for PFAS and finding only trace levels well below the detectable limit at one of the three, he said.

Henrico DPU officials regularly test water for a variety of chemicals at about 120 sites countywide, Chan said, adding that they would follow forthcoming EPA guidance and likely roll regular PFAS testing into those sites then.

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The first indication that PFAS were present in the Chickahominy River in Eastern Henrico came in late October, when county officials received word that the NNWW had found them during testing of its own.

NNWW officials had been testing the region because their water treatment facility, which serves about 400,000 people in the Newport News/Hampton region, pulls water from the Chickahominy River. The testing process included most of the Chickahominy watershed area, Chan said, since that water ultimately ends up at the NNWW plant.

Once those test results became known, local and state officials worked to conduct their own tests in November, which confirmed the NNWW results. Prior to the NNWW tests, water in the area never had been tested for PFAS, according to Virginia DEQ Communications Director Gregory Bilyeu.

How the chemicals got into the Chickahominy River in Henrico is still a mystery.

“DEQ cannot say at this point in time where the source of PFAS may be coming from,” Bilyeu wrote in a statement to the Citizen. “While PFAS is commonly used in firefighting foam, and may be related to past or current operations on airport property, we are early in our investigation and cannot conclude the source contributing to the contamination. However, DEQ will investigate all possible sources as part of its ongoing study.

In total, there are about 2,000 properties along the Chickahominy River basin in Eastern Henrico, Chan told the Citizen, but only 771 of those are located downstream from the region in question and also served by well water.

When officials zeroed in even further on the properties most likely to be affected, it led them to the 120 or so on which they now hope to conduct testing, he said. Subsequent testing of the other 551 properties is possible, in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Virginia Department of Health, he said.

In addition, county officials are planning eventually to extend county water lines to all unserved parts of the county – possibly beginning with the 120 properties they’re seeking to test, Chan said.

“We would make this area a priority because of the need,” he said. “Then we would look at all of the other areas that would benefit from having public water.”

About 6,400 properties in the county currently are served by well water, Chan said.

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To view a Nov. 16 webinar about PFAS in the Chickahominy River basin hosted by the VHD, DEQ and Henrico DPU click here.

For details about PFAS from the U.S. EPA, click here.