It could take the West Virginia Public Service Commission at least six months to conduct its investigation into the water main break and widespread gas outage in Charleston last month.
In a filing this week, commission staff anticipate the process to take 180 to 250 days.
Also this week, Mountaineer Gas filed a lawsuit against West Virginia American Water. The gas outage, which affected hundreds of West Side residents, began with a water main break on Nov. 10.
Water flooded miles of gas lines in the neighborhood, cutting service and damaging household appliances.
Mountaineer seeks a ruling from the court that holds the water company responsible for the damages.
A lawsuit was filed last month on behalf of affected residents, seeking class-action status.
The three-week outage overlapped with the Thanksgiving holiday, and many residents lacked heat, hot water or working stoves.
Mountaineer crews worked through the holiday to restore gas service to the neighborhood.