PSC Orders Plans For Weirton Water Service Improvements

Water services in Weirton will need to be significantly improved in the coming years. 

On Friday the Public Service Commission of West Virginia ordered the Weirton Area Water Board to take several steps to improve the water quality and service reliability of the system.

The water board has 90 days to submit six action plans and reports, including:

• detailing plans to replace the cast iron and galvanized steel piping in the water system over the next 5 years
• detailing plans to define a leak detection and repair program
• detailing plans to achieve a water loss percentage of 15% or less
• detailing plans to resolve violations of the Bureau for Public Health standards
• submit a report regarding a possible alternate water supply, including the interconnect with Pennsylvania Water Company, to provide an additional backup during major outages or crises, and
• have a process to provide alerts to customers via both text message and email.

The order is the result of a five month investigation into the water board after prolonged water outages, low water pressure and boil water advisories started in December 2024 and persisted through the winter.

A report submitted by commission staff acknowledged that the area saw unseasonably cold temperatures, but also found that 40% of the system’s water lines are buried above the frost line, leading to widespread main breaks.

The process included public comment both in writing and in person at an April meeting. The commission reports the meeting “was well attended by the citizens of Weirton who expressed concerns about the Water Board regarding main breaks, water outages, storage capacity, reliability of the infrastructure, low pressure, water quality, water color, water taste, possible effects on health, economic impacts, lack of communication, transparency, accountability, and management culture.”

In response to the commission’s recommendations, the Weirton Water Board said only approximately 140 customers, representing just 1.5 percent of its total customer base, were affected by the winter outages, and emphasized that it was already taking steps to improve the system. 

“Whether 140, 1,400, or 14,000 individuals were affected, the core concern remains the same: these West Virginians temporarily lost access to safe, reliable water service – a basic necessity of life,” the order said.