Burr, Tillis intervene in Wilmington VA clinic's water woes

Burr, Tillis intervene in Wilmington VA clinic's water woes
By Ann McAdams | June 10, 2015 at 9:48 PM EDT - Updated July 25 at 11:12 AM

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - It's been almost three months since the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority issued a “Do Not Use” notice, saying water at the Wilmington VA clinic could not be consumed until heavy metal contamination in the water was fixed. Now, Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis are intervening on the veterans' behalf.

A VA spokesperson says they believe it is an internal plumbing issue, stemming from a problem with the pipes inside the VA clinic. The CFPUA says it is not a problem with the external water supply.

The VA leases the Wilmington facility from Summit Smith HealthCare out of Wisconsin. VA officials say, as tenants, they are at the mercy of Summit Smith to fix the problem.

We asked if the VA might withhold rent payments until the plumbing issue is rectified since the Urology, GI and Dental departments are unable to see patients until the water problems are fixed. The VA said they were considering it. In the meantime, these patients are having appointments postponed indefinitely, or are being referred to other VA clinics.

Senator Burr's spokesperson released this statement late Wednesday afternoon:

This week, Senator Burr pressed for answers from the Veterans Administration about access problems with the clinic in Wilmington due to the unsafe water at the facility."

Senator Tillis went so far as to meet with VA Secretary Robert McDonald on Wednesday. Tillis told us they "discuss[ed] the need to completely rethink the VA's approach to providing quality care for veterans and making the VA system more efficient and accountable to prevent these kinds of unacceptable internal issues."

"It's alarming that the issues at the Wilmington VA clinic continue to persist without an end in sight," Tillis continued, "Affecting veterans who need essential health care services. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the bureaucratic breakdowns and management issues that are plaguing the VA system."

VA officials say they do not have a timeline for when the plumbing issues will be resolved. Once the water problem is fixed, the CFPUA will require three consecutive weeks of water samples that test below action levels for heavy metal contamination before the "Do Not Use" notice will be lifted.

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