VA: Wilmington clinic water samples pass latest test

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Department of Veterans Affairs says water samples from its Wilmington Health Care Center passed the latest round of testing.

The facility at Wilmington International Airport has been under a Do Not Use Notice since March 18, forcing the clinic to postpone or reschedule dental appointments and some procedures as a precautionary measure until retesting determines the water meets standards.

Click here to see the complete coverage.

In a news release, the VA says Pace Analytical Services in Eden completed analysis of 25 water samples taken at the clinic in Wilmington by Nalco, an environmental hygiene company.  The samples were tested to measure lead and copper proportions in the water against acceptable EPA standards, according to EPA prescribed testing methodology. Pace is certified by the State of North Carolina for domestic water lead and copper testing.

“Hopefully, these favorable results will bring us one step closer to resume providing the full range of services to our patients,” said Fayetteville VA Medical Center Director, Elizabeth Goolsby.  “Safety of patients, staff and providers still remains our top priority.”

Pace delivered the test results July 23.  The VA says amounts found in the samples taken from plumbing sources throughout the building were well below what the industry terms “actionable levels.” Actionable levels are the thresholds at which the proportion of contaminants is high enough that consumption could threaten safety and measures should be taken to remedy the condition.

The report has been provided to the New Hanover County Health Department and the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority for review.  Those organizations plan another round of tests.

The VA says the owner of the building, Wilmington Veterans Clinic, LLC (also referred as Summit Smith Healthcare Facilities), along with CFPUA have been working toward a solution since the initial tests began. Completed repairs include flushing the water system, replacing the anodes in the water heaters and replacing more than 400 galvanized connectors with brass ones that are compatible with copper plumbing.

The VA says representatives from CFPUA were on site to monitor the preparation for and the actual sampling of the water.

All flushing and sampling protocols for the Nalco tests followed the Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”), Section 141.86 (b) (2).  The protocol calls for a first draw tap sample of one liter in volume, after the water has stood motionless for a minimum of six hours and that the first draw samples from a non-residential building shall be collected at an interior tap from which water is typically drawn for consumption.  The tap water samples from Wilmington (NC) VA HCC facility were flushed for 10 minutes on July 19, prior to “locking out” the tap water for over 8 hours.  Twenty-five domestic water taps were drawn from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on July 20.

Cold tap water samples were drawn from sinks that had separate cold and hot water valves, meeting EPA sampling methodology.  The tap water was sampled in all areas such as kitchens, dental, equipment washrooms, equipment cleaning rooms, and exam rooms with separate cold and hot water valves, that are typically designated for consumption, or used for equipment cleaning, equipment use, or oral rinsing.  The pH and temperature of the water was also tested and recorded at the time of testing.