EPA: Sandston well water safe after cancer-causing chemical detected

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) -- The Environmental Protection Agency says testing shows Sandston well water is safe.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said the EPA tested two wells in Sandston over the weekend. One well showed no signs of contamination and the other revealed low levels that are not considered a health concern.

The testing comes about a week after officials went door to door distributing flyers and asking residents for water samples between East Williamsburg Road, Federal Street, Garland Avenue and Naglee Avenue.

Tetrachloroethylene, a suspected carcinogen that is often found in dry cleaning, was discovered in groundwater by a building contractor.

"Groundwater typically moves very slowly, so it could of been a situation that happened years ago," Bill Hayden, a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality representative, told CBS 6 News last week.

Hayden also said residents who live near the contamination all have county water and not well water.

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