From Reservoir to Tap: Ensuring Safe and Accessible Water in Charlottesville

Water in Charlottesville is vital for it to be safe to drink and use for the community. This article investigates whether Charlottesville's water meets public health standards for all residents, taking a further look into water quality, infrastructure, accessibility, pollution risks, and equity concerns.

Charlottesville draws water from the Ragged Mountain and South Fork Rivanna reservoirs, treating it through the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA). In 2018, the RWSA took measures to upgrade the major treatment plants to use Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration. With this, it results in a 44% decrease in THMs (trihalomethanes) and a 71% reduction in HAAs (haloacetic acids), both key factors of disinfection and ensuring the EPA standards are met.

With the RWSA, there are over 550 samples every month, keeping an eye for any microbiological, chemical, and emerging contaminants, and reports are required to be met and cleared under the Safe Drinking Water Act, all according to Rivanna.org.

Within Charlottesville, the water network consists of five reservoirs, nearly 68 miles of distribution mains. The city of Charlottesville employs corrosion control to attempt to prevent lead and copper leaching. Ongoing efforts are always in process to refine dosing for another layer of protection. All supporting a safe delivery system to ensure the water is up to standard for the residents of Charlottesville.

Most of the city households are using the municipal water system; however, public access to drinking water does vary by location. Drinking water fountains are available in schools, government or city buildings, and parks. With these being required for most city-owned areas, there is strangely no public-facing maintenance schedule to ensure consistent function. However, residents are encouraged to submit reports and issues to the city's 24/7 hotline. With this relying on public action, not much is always done because it is assumed it will be taken care of. While this does exist, more awareness of issues relating to public water safety, especially in lower-income or high-traffic areas, may help make sure water is more accessible to everyone.

As most of the city of Charlottesville's water source comes from the Rivanna River watershed, this is monitored by the Rivanna Conservation Alliance (RCA). RCA has surveyed and kept track of several surrounding local streams through the monitoring program in place. According to RivannaRiver.org, these streams are showing signs of high environmental stress, for the most part, this is from urban runoff, erosion, and bacterial contamination. In 2023, the RWSA had detected PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) in the North Rivanna Water Treatment Plant, showing the levels were within the typical limits. However, the RWSA went ahead and paused treatment at the plant. Meaning this shifted the water supply to other facilities to make sure all water would be safe from InfoCville.com. In doing this quick shift, it showcased the effectiveness of Charlottesville's layered approach to water protection, even when facing the emerging environmental threats.

Even though the water in Charlottesville is, for the most part, safe and well managed, some residents benefit more than others. Rental units with a bit more age to them and low-income areas may still not get access to completely clean and safe water due to the plumbing that leads to the areas of living areas. Even if the water is tested and compliant with the criteria that need to be met, the pipes and plumbing that need to be kept up by landlords and company-owned buildings are not always safe for the water to travel through- tenants are not aware of the issue. Additionally, areas that rely on private wells are not tested or treated by RWSA. These residents are supposed to manage their water through private testing and treatment- this is not always accomplished.

Those who rely heavily on forms of public drinking water, like school and park fountains, may be heavily impacted in certain areas, or outlets may be down and not dispensing drinking water. Meaning, while the city itself may have a higher water quality, maintenance and difficulties within the city can be the cause of so many residents facing the barrier of clean, safe, and consistent water.

The city is always doing things to actively improve the water cleanliness and safety. The 2018 filtration upgrades to the main water systems were a huge milestone, and the continuation of monitoring for other contaminants is an active commitment to the safety of residents. In 2023, with the detection of PFAS, water production was halted at the contaminated plant and drastically shifting the output of the water supply. While this shows a quick response to the contaminant issue, it only shows how quickly and drastically water contaminants happen and change the flow of a city's water supply. The RCA consistently tracks the watershed health, monitoring for problems, erosion, and stormwater runoff that may appear and potentially cause issues with the city's water supply. The ongoing monitoring and projects that the city of Charlottesville puts into place ensure the water infrastructure keeps pace with the growing population, demands, and evolving risks.