Paden City water system to be studied
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CHARLESTON -- The Public Service Commission of West Virginia has opened an investigation to consider whether Paden City and the Paden City Municipal Water Works are distressed or failing utilities because of contamination problems in the water system.
Troubled by contamination from tetrachloroethylene, a cleaning solution common in dry cleaning, the state Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Public Health on Sept. 12 rescinded a do-not-consume notice for customers of the Paden City Water Works that was issued Aug. 16. Elevated levels of the chemical, also called PCE, were the result of mechanical failure in a bypass valve, which has been corrected.
The notice was lifted by the bureau after three consecutive water samples tested by a certified lab showed negative detectable levels of the chemical.
The commission on Friday agreed to an Oct. 4 motion by agency legal staff.
"Ensuring that state residents have access to clean water is one of the essential duties of the Public Service Commission, which is why we take these cases so seriously," PSC Chairwoman Charlotte Lane said. "This warrants our investigation to determine the facts."
Commission legal staff asserted it has discovered through investigation that the residents of Paden City for many years have dealt with water contaminated by tetrachloroethylene.
"The assertions put forth by staff justify further examination of the utilities' ongoing contaminant issue, particularly with regard to whether the utilities are capable of ensuring the effective treatment of the contaminant and whether additional issues exist regarding the fiscal, managerial and operational conditions of the utilities," the commission order said.
The Legislature in 2020, with the encouragement of the Bureau of Public Health, passed the Distressed Failing Utilities Improvement Act, which gives the commission wide latitude in dealing with water and sewer utilities that are not meeting obligations.
Paden City Water Works provides water service to 1,204 customers in Wetzel and Tyler counties.