ORANGE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) – The stop-use order for people who rely on the Rapidan Service Authority’s Wilderness Water System remains in effect tonight due to contamination of tap water in the area.
“It would be nice if the government would come forward and say, ‘We got you too,'” said Tom Stanley, a Food Lion employee who lives in the area.
On a normal day, Lake of The Woods Plaza is a hub for restaurants, shops and grocery stores. Thursday was no normal day.
Due to the warning not to use the water for safety reasons, almost all shops in the affected area were closed.
Food Lion was one of the few stores still open. Bottled water was the most popular item to sell. However, the amount of water we had on hand seemed insufficient.
“I think it took about an hour for them to make the announcement,” Stanley said.
According to Stanley, that’s how long it took for the store to run out of water because people were flocking from all over in search of clean water.
Erin Murray said not being able to rely on the Rapidan Service Authority’s water supply has become very inconvenient for her.
“It’s a lot because it obviously took us by surprise. As a single father, I had to rush and get a lot of water,” Murray said. “So I had to stock up on it, that’s a lot of money.”
The location where RSA originally said neighbors could pick up free bottled water quickly emptied out and people had to be turned away. Late in the afternoon, Locust Grove Middle School opened as a distribution center.
“I think they’re doing a really good job of keeping us informed and up to date,” said Dana Howington, a Lake of the Woods Plaza employee. “They let us know as soon as they could. I wish they would have told us exactly what it was so we’d know what to prepare for.”
Like Howington, Murray said she hopes to get answers soon.
“I’ve just read what people are saying, what everyone is saying, that’s all,” Murray said. “And what Rapidan says on its website … but that’s all the information we have.”
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