LUNENBURG COUNTY, Va. — Due to a waterline break, the Town of Victoria, in conjunction with the Lunenburg County Health Department are advising Victoria residents to boil tap water or use bottled water for drinking or cooking purposes.
In addition, Lunenburg County Public Schools will be closed Thursday January 21 due to the water line break issue.
The school system released a statement that said in part.
“The Town of Victoria advises that potable or suitable drinking water would not be available. All Schools will be closed. The Governors school and Lake County Advanced Learning Students will be closed also. Twelve month employees report on time.”
The advisory says this step is a precaution after the waterline break and will be in effect until further notice.
“To repair the break, the elevated water tank has been valved off which has resulted in no water pressure throughout the distribution system,” the statement read.
The Town of Victoria says boiling the water kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. They instruct residents to bring the tap water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water.
Failure to follow this advisory could result in stomach or intestinal illness, according to the advisory.
Residents will be notified when they will no longer need to boil their water:
“The Town of Victoria is working diligently to repair the waterline. Once normal pressure is restored, the Town will need to flush the system thoroughly and test to ensure the bacteriological quality is acceptable before the boil water notice is lifted. We will notify Town customers once reliable service has been restored.”
For more information call: Phil Pegram, Chief Operator, at 434-696-2410.
If you cannot boil your tap water:
- An alternative method of purification for residents that do not have gas or electricity available is to use liquid household bleach to disinfect water. The bleach product should be recently purchased, free of additives and scents, and should contain a hypochlorite solution of at least 5.25%. Public health officials recommend adding 8 drops of bleach (about ¼ teaspoon) to each gallon of water. The water should be stirred and allowed to stand for at least 30 minutes before use.
- Water purification tablets may also be used by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
