Wood Commission discusses Lubeck PSD proposed rate increase with officials and customers

PARKERSBURG - The Wood County Commission is considering what kind of rate increase might be granted to the Lubeck Public Service District as they heard from officials and consumers who had concerns about the condition of the districts infrastructure and what the impacts will be to consumers.

Around 25 people attended a public hearing before the Wood County Commission on Thursday to discuss the proposed rate increases for water and sewer the Lubeck Public Service District is asking for. The commission has been discussing a proposed 30% rate increase for water and a 14% increase for sewer that PSD officials outlined for the commission in June.

Kevin Watkins of the Thrasher Group, a team of architecture, engineering and survey consultants who work with the PSD, said inquiries were made in 2023 by the Wood County Development Authority about possible economic development along DuPont Road and how much water the PSD could provide if an industrial development were to come in.

"If someone was to come and say they needed 500,000 gallons of water a day, Lubeck's plant is almost at capacity and they might not be able to provide that," Watkins said. "The PSD doesn't want to be a reason the whole county loses out on jobs and tax revenue."

Watkins pointed to developments in Mason County with the Monarch Data Center and the Nucore Steel facility and Jackson County with the Timet titanium melt facility site which all will being bringing in jobs and tax revenue.

"They were able to to there because of upgrades and the water utility was prepared," he said. "They prepared themselves to accommodate those facilities."

Watkins also said that some of Lubeck's waterlines are over 70-years-old and its aging infrastructure needs to be addressed.

"Lubeck PSD has been good about going out and fixing leaks, but you can only fix a certain section of waterlines so many times," he said adding the Larkmead water tank had to go offline early this year for maintenance to fix a leak. That impacted 570 customers.

They are looking at options that can improve systems for the long-term in being able to produce more water in the long term and in a shorter amount of time. Their water facilities run an average of 19 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Lubeck PSD is trying to be proactive and do a project that will benefit their entire system from pulling water out of the ground to holding it in the tanks and getting it out (to the customers)," Watkins said.

Wood County Commissioner Jimmy Colombo said he had scores of documents that he has looked at and none of them said what Watkins had just told them. The documents also did not outline what the money brought in from the proposed rate increase will be spent on.

"It does not specify one time what you just said," Colombo pointed out. "Why don't you give us something that says what you just said here. Nothing in front of me says what you just said.

"Maybe (the customers) would be satisfied if they knew what their money is going to be spent on."

Colombo said he has always voted in support of water systems, but a lack of information can lead to unfounded rumors which can do more harm than good.

Watkins said there was a public hearing and they have been trying to get information out about what they are doing.

Officials on Thursday said the PSD serves over 4,900 customers with six industrial customers.

People in attendance said there were people on fixed incomes where 30 percent was a huge increase. People wanted to see if some of the proposed work might be covered by more grants the district can apply for in addition to ones they already applied for. Others wondered if there would be a time, if the PSD got the money they needed for what they are proposing, if customers' rates could be reduced to help them out.

West Virginia Delegate Dave Foggin, R-Wood, said he has been hearing from his constituents and people were concerned about the rate increase being so much. He wants industrial operations coming in who might use a lot of water to pay for the increase as part of the cost of their project.

PSD officials have proposed spreading the increase out over time with a smaller increase for water one year and a smaller increase for sewer the next year and another increase for water the following year and so on.

Commission President Blair Couch said they want to see what the immediate needs are the district has and what might be able to wait.

"I have never heard from anyone who said their water is bad or undrinkable," Couch said. "There are other public service districts in the southern part of the state, that is all they hear about."

"We have good, clean, drinkable water," Commissioner Jim Hamric added.

Lubeck PSD Manager Rocky McConnell said they anticipate a well to last 5-7 years before major work is needed. Wells that were rebuilt 2-3 years ago now need work.

"We can't anticipate how long things will last when the quality is going downhill," he said.

PSD Officials said that as prices have risen for a lot of things, it has impacted their ability to do business as well. They will get a list to the commission of the things the district can get by with over the next 12 months so the commission can have that in considering what to do.

The commission is scheduled to discuss the rate increase 9:45 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17 for possible action.