PITTSYLVANIA CO., Va. – Residents of a Pittsylvania County neighborhood that struggled with discolored and odor-stricken water for decades are finally connected to a new public water supply, but some say concerns about the safety of their drinking water remain unresolved.
County officials announced last week that the Robin Court neighborhood had been connected to the Town of Chatham’s water system, a move intended to resolve long-running complaints about water quality in the community.
“We’re still kind of nervous about drinking it,” resident Glendora Johnson said. “I still don’t drink it. I buy water. I have started taking baths in it, and I cook with it.”
Johnson said residents want additional testing done before they feel comfortable fully trusting the new supply.
“We’re concerned about the water,” she said. “We want the water tested before we start drinking it.”
Residents also say the years spent purchasing bottled water and coping with discolored tap water deserve acknowledgment.
“They should have to pay us restitution or something for the time that we went without that water,” Johnson said. “We were out buying water for 20 years.”
Pittsylvania County Director of Public Works Chris Adcock said the water was safe to drink throughout the years, despite complaints about its appearance.
“Yes,” Adcock said when asked whether the water had been safe. “It’s mostly a taste and aesthetic situation. Lots of sediment in that well, so there was a lot of red coloration.”
Adcock also assured residents the new supply of drinking water was completely safe to drink.
Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chair Robert Tucker Jr., who represents the neighborhood, said there were several projects the county had to balance funding for. Noting he did everything he could to ease the burden on the community, including suspending water bills for two years.
“There were a couple of different projects on the drawing board. This was one of them. But there was not enough money to do both projects. Rather than piecemeal the situation, the previous board decided to do a different location where they had the exact money,” Tucker Jr. said.
The project was eventually funded through a $905,000 grant made available in 2024 through former President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Supervisor Tucker Jr. says he helped write the grant application to the grant’s distributor, the Virginia Department of Health’s Financial Construction Assistance Program.
“We’re here now. It’s completed,” Tucker Jr. said. “Hopefully everyone’s satisfied.”
County officials said the water system was regularly monitored to ensure it met safety standards while residents relied on the well water.