Cafes, dentists and hospital react as Danville remains under boil water notice

DANVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Danville residents should see water pressure return to normal, but the city’s boil water advisory is expected to remain in place until at least Saturday as officials wait on required testing and state approval.

Danville Utilities Director Jason Grey said the timeline has been pushed back because the city must collect water samples and get clearance from the state before the advisory can be lifted. “We have to take two per pressure zone, and we have seven pressure zones, so it’s going to be quite an extensive effort trying to get those initial samples,” Grey said.

Grey said that after the Virginia Department of Health clears the first round of samples, crews must wait 24 hours before taking a second set of samples, followed by another 24-hour wait for results.

For local businesses, the extended advisory has meant extra work and added costs. At Crema and Vine, owner Steve DelGiorno said the cafe has relied on large water jugs to keep serving customers. “Oh boy, you know we’re just going to have to keep doing what we’re doing,” DelGiorno said.

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DelGiorno said the shop has continued serving drip coffee by using large jugs. He added that they have gone through “Eight five-gallon jugs in two and a half days.”

DelGiorno said food service has not been a problem, but dishwashing has required additional steps. “Food not an issue; we just have a certain protocol for dishwashing in the back with sanitizer and all the different things we have to do,” he said.

Some healthcare providers said the advisory has had a limited impact on their operations. At Perfect Smiles, dental hygienist Chelsea Rossman said patients are not exposed to city water. “No city water is in the patients at all,” Rossman said. She said the water used to rinse patients comes from a separate source. “This water here comes out of the syringe, and this is what I rinse my patients with, and so this is treatment water, it comes directly from this bottle here, which is distilled water,” she said.

At Sovah Health, the hospital said it has taken precautions during the advisory. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have implemented all recommended measures, including the use of bottled or appropriately boiled water for drinking, food preparation, patient care activities, and any clinical processes that require potable water,” the hospital said in a statement to ABC13.

Grey asked customers who are still experiencing pressure issues to call Danville Utilities’ non-emergency number. He also said residents should continue boiling water or using bottled water for drinking and cooking until at least Saturday.