The Shadow
On Friday, January 26, the Virginian Review sat down with Clifton Forge Town Manager, Chuck Unroe, to discuss the recent letter which was sent out to residents; a letter which seems to have prompted the spread of misinformation and paranoia among residents. However, Unroe says that “No one’s health is at risk” because of the water.
Prior to discussing the letter with the Virginian Review, Mr. Unroe paused for a brief moment to call Clifton Forge Mayor, Jeff Irvine, in order to get permission to speak on Mr. Irvine’s behalf or ask if Irvine would prefer to speak to us directly. Mr. Irvine instructed Unroe to speak in his absence and so, the conversation continued.
“This conversation is in response to all of the back-and-forth about the notice on our drinking water in Clifton Forge which we mailed to our consumers,” Unroe began, “and let me just preface this by saying that I’m making this statement after a conversation with and under the consent of Mayor Irvine that I speak in his absence to represent the town.”
“On December 21, 2023, we received notification from the Virginia Department of Health for the following violations: operating a water works in violation of the public water supplies law —title 32.1, chapter 6, article 2 of the code of Virginia— for failing to supply an efficient number of properly licensed operators at the water works,” Unroe stated.
We were able to confirm with other officials that the bottom line is simply that a licensed operator retired and another gentleman at the water treatment plant quit. These events seemingly happened close together and left the town without the required number of licensed operators present at the plant.
“The bottom line is that we’re classified as a tier 2 treatment facility and every time we’re making clean water, we are required to have a certified operator on the premises,” Chuck Unroe stated. “We’ve been operating for years on the waiver we assumed was still in effect that said, and I quote, ‘You are required to have one person in the plant when you’re making water.’ It [the waiver] didn’t say it had to be a certified operator. We’ve always had direct contact with the workers at the plant and the certified operator.”
Additionally, the town was required to send a notice by mail within 30 days to every person in the town of Clifton Forge who consumed the town’s water; a requirement they met ahead of schedule. They also sent letters to Alleghany County and Iron Gate (because both provide Clifton Forge water to their consumers), published a notice on their Facebook page, and published notices in two separate media outlets alerting the public of the issue.
“We felt we went above and beyond the requirements for notification to our customers,” Unroe said during the brief interview. “We’re also required to send this notice out every 90 days until we complete the process of correcting the violation.”
Again, the violation ultimately comes down to not having a licensed operator at Clifton Forge water treatment plant. Mr. Unroe stated that not only are they in the process of training new employees, including that of a licensed operator, but they expect to have the violation corrected within the 90 days when they are required to send out another letter.
Several of our readers have reached out because of a particular part of the letter they found alarming, which stated: “If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your healthcare providers about drinking water.”
That section has seemingly caused the most alarm among consumers and caused some panic and misinformation to be spread throughout the town and on social media outlets. Mr. Unroe was candid in addressing this as well.
The Virginia Department of Health [VDH], once they find a town’s water treatment facility in violation of any code, requires the town to send out a letter —as previously mentioned— which VDH has pre-written for all areas who receive violations. In each pre-written letter, the violation is listed at the top, “What is being done?” about the violation is at the bottom, and the middle, non-emergency section, is a generic warning added to all letters classified as “non-emergency.” They are written this way to cast a wider net and address all possible issues, regardless of which town receives the letter to send out to consumers.
In some cases, the violation may very well be that the water wasn’t treated appropriately or correctly and so, this particular section —the one which created the alarm— would be fitting to include. However, that is not what occurred in the Town of Clifton Forge. “It was 100% staffing. Absolutely,” Chuck Unroe stated. “It had nothing to do with the quality or cleanliness of the water.” It should also ease residents’ minds that the staffing issue is currently being corrected.
The representatives of the Town of Clifton Forge simply opted not to alter the letter in any way prior to sending it out, but the violation listed is “Lacks Properly Licensed Operator,” as Unroe stated. He also assured the Virginian Review that the water is treated the same way it’s always been treated, there is no risk to consumers, and no one’s health is in jeopardy as a result of the violation.
“We have our annual reports from the Virginia Health Department to confirm that we have very safe, clean drinking water,” Unroe stated.
Residents, he said, are also free to look at the water reports online if they choose. The most recent report can be found here alongside information regarding additional details of a “tier 2” treatment facility. https://cliftonforgeva.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Water-Treatment.pdf
