Goochland testing water daily after ‘unknown amounts’ of fluoride added to Richmond water system

GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Goochland County has been testing its water daily since it was notified on Monday that Richmond added "unknown amounts" of fluoride to its water system.

On Wednesday, April 23, an issue that occurred during a pump installation at Richmond's water treatment plant caused "unknown amounts of additional fluoride" to be added to the city's water system over the course of five hours.

The counties of Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield -- which are all connected to Richmond's water system, with varying degrees of dependence -- were not notified of this spike in fluoride until Sunday, April 27. This is despite the fact that levels exceed 2.0 milligrams per liter (mg/L) at one point, which creates a risk of dental fluorosis -- or the permanent discoloration of teeth -- for children nine years old and younger.

On Tuesday, April 29, Richmond provided an update, saying that its fluoride levels were returning to normal.

MORE: Fluoride levels in Richmond’s water returning to normal after ‘unknown amounts’ added

On Thursday, May 1, Goochland County took to Facebook to provide an update on this situation for its own residents. While Goochland is not directly connected to Richmond's water system, its East End is connected to Henrico's, meaning exposure to this fluoride spike was still possible.

According to county officials, Goochland was not notified of the fluoride incident until Monday, April 28 -- the same date the general public became aware of the issue.

The county reiterated Richmond's own statements that the city's water has remained safe to drink, aside from the dental fluorosis concerns, at all times.

"Fortunately, this was an isolated incident and Goochland County Public Utilities did not expect elevated fluoride levels of water to reach customers on the East End Water System or to impact Goochland’s water supply in any way," the county said.

Since Monday, Goochland County Public Utilities has been performing daily testing of the county's water at its entry point from Henrico. These test results reportedly show Goochland's fluoride content has remained at an acceptable level.

"We will continue enhanced monitoring of fluoride levels in the East End Water System through the end of this week to ensure they remain at normal levels," the county said. "Following this, we will return to our normal testing procedures. Public health is not at risk and Goochland’s drinking water remains safe to consume."

If you are a Goochland resident with questions about your water service, you can contact the county's Department of Public Utilities at 804-556-5835.