Officials examine ways to fix water system
Jody MurphyPARKERSBURG - Parkersburg officials are aware of the city's aging water system and the potential costs associated with making improvements, but the mayor and members of Parkersburg City Council are hesitant to approve a rate hike without exhausting other avenues.
It was recently disclosed that Fairmont was losing 45 to 50 percent of the water produced by its plant. The plant produces about 6 million gallons of water daily, but only 3 million gallons reaches the tap. Officials blame an outdated system of leaky and broken pipes.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission sets the bar at 15 percent or less for water loss. Last month Parkersburg's loss was 19.5 percent. Parkersburg Utility Board Manager Eric Bennett said aging water infrastructure is a problem in most cities, including Parkersburg.
"Any municipality of the same size is going to have the same problems," he said. "The (city) system as a whole is over a hundred years old. We have an aging infrastructure and we have to maintain it."
Bennett said Parkersburg's water plant, built in the 1980s, has been adequately maintained, but there is still water loss. The city produces four to five million gallons of water a day. It loses anywhere from 11 to 20 percent of the produced water, according to Bennett. The lost water can be attributed to firefighting and unmetered connections, but the biggest and most likely culprit is leaks in the line.
"You have ones that don't come to the surface, the leaks go to the creek or the sewers. We don't find them for months. We find them through routine work," he said.
Bennett said the lost water costs the city about $190,000 annually.
"We do know and have known the water system is aging," Mayor Bob Newell said.
Fairmont officials hope the West Virginia Public Service Commission will approve a 14 percent rate hike to fund a $4 million plan to detect and replace broken old pipes. The requested rate hike comes after Fairmont's city council has already asked the PSC for a 49 percent increase in rates.
The Parkersburg Utility Board is seeking a three-year, step-rate increase to raise customer rates by $10. Bennett said the increase would be used to replace older lines as well as fund a leak-detection survey.
Newell is not a proponent of a rate hike, not until the economy strengthens and the city seeks other avenues. Newell has spoken with U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., regarding a state and tribal assistance (STAG) grants.
"Inevitably those repairs will have to be done," Newell said. "The longer we wait, the more it will cost."
Facebook
MySpace
Digg
Stumble
Mixx
Fark
del.icio.us
LiveSpaces
|
doinker
|
|
|---|---|
|
08-10-09 8:32 PM
|
just another way to screw over the community!! they find more ways to spend money...what about this money for point park ? the are putting all this crap in and it floods down there hmmmm smart huh why not spend that money on somethng like this tht needsto be done!!! just like city council voted for them to have a raise?? hmm at my job i cant just say i want a raise a poof i got it!!!
|
|
JCB1964
|
|
|
08-10-09 6:01 PM
|
Didn't we just get a water increase? Quit giving giving money to worthless causes and use it for stuff that is REALLY needed!! What would happen if everyone skipped a month of payments, wouldn't that jack the system up??
|
|
windlanding
|
|
|
08-10-09 9:16 AM
|
FLASH!! According to todays poll on park usage, a full 65% of the local population don't go the park, EVER! If our elected officials had spent their time wisely on matters that matter, then we wouldn't be spending millions on a park, OUTSIDE the Floodwall, and their efforts would have been directed toward our aging water system, to benefit ALL taxpayers!
|
|
Rakeer
|
|
|
08-10-09 7:32 AM
|
When you see an article like this in the paper you can pretty much figure out theres going to be a rate hike not to far behind it, this is just a little warning that money can't be found so the bill is going up!!!!!
|
|
Rakeer
|
|
|
08-10-09 7:29 AM
|
I agree with you T, my bill has jumped almost $20 a month. I cut water consumption in half and the bill stays the same. They say they read the meter's monthly, I don't think so, if they did my bill should have gone down drastically. Then when I asked why my bill is so high they insist I have a leak someplace, no leak here, and the bill is still the same. I do believe a petition of protest is a great idea!
|
|
TSmearman
|
|
|
08-10-09 7:06 AM
|
if this 'raise' has not gone into effect already, then how is it my bill has jumped $20.00 per month with lower usage than normal???? maybe a good idea would have been to use their monthly intake for maintenance, they may have been able to keep up with their aging system. I say write a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of WV opposing this rate hike, let them find their monies elsewhere to fund their system they have clearly neglected
|