Residents of nine houses in a western Henrico County cul-de-sac have been told not to drink their tap water, likely through the weekend, after a petroleum smell was detected in the water.
There is no indication anyone living on Gibsons Landing Drive was sickened by tainted water before the advisory was issued Thursday, said William I. Mawyer Jr., the county's acting public utilities director.
But one resident said he may have to replace his water heater and plumbing fixtures if the odor inside his house does not abate.
Henrico has delivered bottled water to the nine houses in the cul-de-sac just northwest of Mills Godwin High School.
The county also has cleaned the toilet tanks and faucet strainers in the nine affected houses, flushed the line that supplies the cul-de-sac and is encouraging residents to spend the weekend running the water in their faucets and toilets. The water meters for the nine houses have been deactivated so the residents won't be charged for the flushing.
The source of the contamination has not been pinpointed, Mawyer said. But the county is looking at the possibility that kerosene or diesel got into the water line when the county was doing work in the area this week or that someone such as a private irrigation contractor made an improper connection to the line.
"But we just don't know how this contaminant got into the system," he said.
After Thursday's cleaning, the county tested the water in the main line feeding the neighborhood and in three houses where the odor was most prevalent, and the results show the water is again suitable for drinking, Mawyer said.
But the county wants the residents to keep flushing through the weekend in an attempt to help clear any lingering odor.
John Przybylski, who lives in a three-bedroom rancher in the cul-de-sac, said he has not been able to get rid of the odor, even with the county's cleanup and the two days he spent trying to flush the smell out of his water.
"It's not as bad now as it was unless I run the hot water," he said yesterday. "But basically if you walked into my home with your eyes closed, you'd think you were walking into a large mechanics' garage."
Przybylski left work early yesterday to go home and meet a plumber, who recommended that he replace his water heater and faucets -- and possibly all the water pipes in the house.
Przybylski said he will wait for the county to finish its work before determining how to proceed.
Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or jmacenka@timesdispatch.com.
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