Berkeley County Expands Water Services To Meet Growing Demand

West Virginia has long struggled with population decline, but its easternmost region has proved an exception. Last year, five counties in the area saw population growth — among just eight counties in the state.

Berkeley County experienced the biggest jump. Between July 2022 and July 2023, the county population grew by 2.37 percent, with more than 3,000 new residents moving in.

Local officials are excited by these numbers. But they say preparing for newcomers means expanding existing infrastructure, like water and wastewater systems.

Officials took a step toward that goal Thursday, with a groundbreaking ceremony in the unincorporated community of Bunker Hill. Located about 12 miles south of Martinsburg, the area will soon house a new $79 million water treatment plant servicing the southern portion of the county.

Engineers on the project expect to complete the new plant in three years. By then, the county will need to supply an additional 900,000 gallons of water to keep up with demand, according to Jeremey Hise, vice president of the engineering firm leading the project, Hazen and Sawyer.

“A lot of these projects are in need in a very timely manner,” Hise said in a speech during the ceremony.

Bunker Hill already has a water treatment plant. But it was built in 1958 and has reached its “life expectancy,” according to Jim Ouellet, executive director of the Berkeley County Water District.

“We’re going to replace it and, at the same time, we’re going to add additional capacity,” he said.

With the site’s expansion, Berkeley County will treat an additional 6 million gallons of water per day. Its storage capacity will increase from 400,000 gallons to 2 million.

In 2023, Ouellet said the county added an average of 3.3 water meter connections per day. He said this shows the importance of increasing supply.

“We have great enthusiasm from developers who have desired to be here. We have businesses coming to the community,” Ouellet said. “Our objective is to simply create and maintain the necessary infrastructure so that, as these opportunities come along, we’ll be positioned to supply them with the water they need.”

Ouellet said the Bunker Hill site is not the only thing in the works. On the county’s northern end, officials aim to increase the capacity of a water plant fed by the Potomac River from 6 million gallons of water per day to 10 million.

The Bunker Hill project is located in the southernmost part of the county. By expanding water systems on both sides of the county, Ouellet said administrators can more easily serve residents across the region.

“Obviously, you don’t want to move water further than you have to. It’s very heavy,” he said. “The more we have down here, the less we have to move from up north further south. So, it always works in concert with each other.”

United States Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, delivered remarks during the event. They voiced their support for the project, and hopes for future development projects in the Eastern Panhandle.

Funding for the project came from a mix of sources.

According to Ouellet, the Berkeley County Water District borrowed roughly $50 million from the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides money to water and wastewater construction, upgrade and expansion efforts. The fund is administered by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Water and Waste Management.

Ouellet said the West Virginia Water Development Authority (WDA) provided the project an additional grant of roughly $25 million. The WDA coordinates loans and financing for local water and wastewater facilities across the state.

Plus, the United States Environmental Protection Agency allocated $3 million to the project following a congressional spending request from Capito.

“Clean water is absolutely essential for drinking and for the environmental health of our community,” Capito told West Virginia Public Broadcasting after the ceremony.

Capito said utilities like water factor into the decision to move to West Virginia for prospective residents and businesses. Plus, she said improving water resources also benefits people already here.

“I know this is an expanding area. There’s more jobs. There’s more housing,” Capito said. “If you don’t have the availability of clean water, drinking water and wastewater facilities, you’re not going to be able to grow.”

Ouellet said Berkeley County officials are grateful for the growth they have already experienced, and hope infrastructure improvements keep current trends going.

“We’re fortunate to have a community that continues to prosper,” he said. “And in any community, in any place, the most important public health component is a viable water system.”