CHATHAM -- On Wednesday, David Jones went into the kitchen of his Robin Court home for water.
Putting a clear glass under the faucet, which happened to have a water purification filter attached, he let the water run for a bit.
It didn't matter.
Placing the glass under the stream, the white, cloudy water emerged.
"You think I'm going to drink that water, and it looks almost like milk," Jones told the Register & Bee. "No way."
Jones and other residents are becoming more vocal about the problem that, for years, has caused them to buy bottled water for drinking.
Neighbors and supporters of the small street of about 18 or so houses off Mill Creek Road lament being in the dark from county officials about not only the safety of the water, but plans to upgrade the line.
The neighborhood of predominantly Black residents is just a little north of Chatham. Those interviewed for this story had lived there for more than four decades.
Officials with the county point to means of communications -- including mailed statements with water bills -- with residents.
A few houses down from where Jones lives is the culprit. A small white building with a giant cylinder jetting from the back is a well system that was built in the early 1970s.
It was operated by the Pittsylvania County Service Authority until that entity dissolved in 2020. Operations were then folded into the public works department for Pittsylvania County.
In 2019 and 2020, the system "exceeded acceptable radium contaminant levels," the county reported in a 2023 statement. Actually, until Thursday morning, the county's website stated that since 2019, the system had high levels of radium.
County spokesperson Diana McFarland acknowledged that the statement was incorrect and changed it.
She confirmed to the newspaper that the level "since then has dropped below the maximum contaminant limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency."
However, it was that same news release that Robin Court resident Glenda Johnson had printed out and showed to the Register & Bee on Wednesday, explaining it wasn't until last week when a neighbor started searching that they found the 2023 statement.
"I just can't believe they had us paying for poisonous water," she explained, seated with others in Jones' living room. "They ain't told us nothing."
She did explain that a letter comes "every so often" detailing the lead in the water.
Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chair Robert Tucker said that if the county staff had "any inkling" the water didn't pass a specific safety test, then matters would have been escalated.
"So that's not been the issue," Tucker, who represents the Banister District where Robin Court is located, told the newspaper Thursday.
"The water has always met the required standards of the Virginia Dept of Health based on acceptable limits established by the Department of Environmental Quality," Chris Adcock, director of public works for Pittsylvania County, wrote in a statement to the newspaper.
Although it may be safe to consume, the appearance is anything but appetizing.
"The water is muddy, and most times when it comes out it's got a smell to it," Johnson said. "We knew the water was bad, but we didn't know how bad it was."
Adcock explained that the water is tested on a schedule maintained by the Virginia Department of Health. According to Jones, they are told by county officials to leave a glass of water on their front porch for collection when the testing occurs.
The county maintains a list of the test results online. The report shows the Robin Court area did not receive any violations in 2024.
The radium
After the radium problem surfaced, the county entered what's known as a consent order with the Virginia Department of Health to remedy it.
A 2021 engineering report determined the best avenue to fix the situation was to connect the line on Robin Court with the town of Chatham's water system. Doing so will also provide fire hydrants, something the current system can't handle.
It was originally announced in 2022 that the project was awarded federal coronavirus relief funding. But that never happened.
Tucker explained at Tuesday night's board of supervisors meeting that, to his understanding, the county had another project happening on Horseshoe Road and couldn't do both at the same time.
Tucker stressed this happened before his time on the board.
Then, in November 2023, the county was notified by the state health department that it was eligible for $905,000 to extend a water line to Robin Court.
At that time, it was projected that construction would start within four to six months.
"You have to do studies to be in compliance with the state," Tucker explained at Tuesday's board meeting, referencing the delay in the project.
Tucker said that once the state conditions are complete, the county can put the project out for bid and hopefully start work in July.
"One hundred days to get fresh drinking water out to Robin Court," Tucker said.
When asked if she thought the end was finally in sight for problems in Robin Court, Johnson just shook her head.
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"I'll wait and see it," she said of the project to finally fix it.
What is it?
The county's 2023 statement describes radium as "a naturally occurring radioactive metal and occurs at trace levels in nearly all rock, soil, water plants and animals," citing the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Generally, the concentration is low, but some areas have higher levels because of geology.
Citing the EPA, the county reported that chronic exposure to "high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver or breast cancer."
While admitting there was no direct evidence linking the water situation with medical conditions, Jones and Johnson said "a lot of people" have had cancer along the road.
Although residents interviewed said they didn't know about the high levels of radium, the county said water customers were notified via mail, something that's required by the state department of health.
Adcock said the letter was mailed with water bills on Jan. 24, 2020.
"Our water system violated a drinking water standard for radioactive contaminants," the document provided by Adcock states. "Even though this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation."
Others involved
Public figures who don't reside on Robin Court have been routinely addressing officials about the issues of the neighborhood.
Willie Fitzgerald, who represents the Banister District on the Pittsylvania County School Board, is one of them.
Fitzgerald was also on the county's service authority board and knows the history of the issue.
"It was a problem then," he said of his time on that board.
"I address the board probably three or four times about this issue," he said, talking about supervisors. "Stood before the board and told them it was a problem."
As a member of the school board now, he said he's worried about the young children who have to "deal with the water situation" on the street.
"Bathing is another issue," he pointed out.
"It makes me sick," Johnson said when asked what goes through her mind when she uses the water to shower or bathe.
"Every time I take baths and stuff I start itching," she said.
Kathy Ramsey, who has filed to run against Tucker in November for a seat on the board of supervisors, spoke out at Tuesday's meeting on the issue, reading a statement from a neighbor.
"Did it become a top priority because of the noise being made now," Ramsey told the Register & Bee, questioning what prompted the matter to be addressed.
She said she brought her worries before the board last year.
Solutions
On Tuesday night, the board of supervisors unanimously voted to have county staff members supply bottled drinking water for residents of Robin Court until the problem is fixed.
By Thursday evening, a Gretna-based nonprofit stepped up to help, also.
Devin Taylor, the founder of Campers Care, will provide free water to the residents.
"This is due to a water quality concern affecting residents in the Robin Court area of Pittsylvania County," Taylor said.
He was setting up a distribution Cabin at the group's satellite facility located at 19549 US. 29 in Chatham.
Bottled water -- as well as gallon jugs -- were available starting Friday in a 24/7-style self-service operation.
Fitzgerald questioned why the "millions of dollars" that were left when the service authority disbanded weren't used to fix the issue on Robin Court sooner.
"We are not aware of a direct communication with the residents of Robin Court regarding the funding awarded but this article was posted to the County website on this in 2023," Adcock said when asked if the county let residents know about the project when it was awarded funding. "In addition, we have spoken with numerous residents and individuals calling on their behalf and have made them aware of the upcoming project."
Tucker said, "We have made them aware on several occasions that it was coming," citing a newspaper publication of the project in November 2023.
At Tuesday evening's meeting, Tucker said it was important to protect the "brand" of Pittsylvania County.
"It's pretty easy to point out the problems," he said. "We need problem solvers."
Jones escorted the Register & Bee to the white building that houses the well system that will soon be replaced. That will be eliminated to connect the water to the Chatham system.
"The Robin Court project will include pipes from the residence to the meter, not just installing a line that connects the Robin Court community to the Chatham water system," Adcock noted of the process. "Most public water expansion projects don't include the lines from meter to residence."
Jones feels that since they've been fighting for years to get a solution, and "everybody's been treated unfairly," money should be returned to the residents who had to pay for water they couldn't drink.
"We just want to be treated right," he said.
"We are human, like they are human," he said. "They don't want to drink bad water."
Charles Wilborn
(434) 791-7976
cwilborn@registerbee.com
@CWilbornGDR on Twitter
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