West Virginia American Water Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Water And Sewer Bills On The Increase

State regulators have approved an 8 percent increase in water and sewer rates for the average customers of the West Virginia-American Water Company (WVAW).

That means more than $10 a month.

In its 58-page ruling, the Public Service Commission (PSC) of West Virginia said the average water bill should increase by $5.69 a month, and sewer bills should increase by $5.59 a month.

The company initially filed for a 22.5 percent increase on May 1, 2023. That request was a total of more than $41 million. After the commission allocated a portion of sewer costs to the water operations, the water increase rose to $43 million, or 24 percent.

The net effect of the commission’s decision released Saturday is to approve a $15 million revenue increase, or an 8 percent increase in rates, instead of 24 percent.

The impact on a residential customer using 3,400 gallons of water per month will take the monthly water bill from $71.10 to $76.79.

For sewer operations, residential customers using 3,400 gallons of water per month will take the average monthly sewer bill from $69.92 to $75.51.

The Kanawha County Commission had advocated for no rate increase, but released a statement that said it views the reduced increase as a significant success, with WVAW receiving only a fraction of its requested amount.

At the evidentiary hearing, Commissioner W. Kent Carper voiced his concerns over water rate affordability.

“The reason why the Kanawha County Commission is the only [local] government entity opposing this I don’t quite understand. I think more should,” he said. “But our concern is the affordability of water rates at this point in time. People can’t afford utility rates going up every other year or every year. Sometimes it’s every year because there are different charges besides the base rate … Our objection is these continuous, systemic, back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back rate increases and surcharges and other charges certainly add up.”

The new rates took effect Saturday.

More information on this case can be found on the PSC website: www.psc.state.wv.us. Click on “Case Information” and access Case Nos. 23-0383-W-42T and 23-0384-S-42T.

PSC Staff Says Water Company Slow To Share Data

The PSC’s staff filed a motion last week to compel West Virginia American Water to provide the information it requested in early December.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission’s staff says West Virginia American Water hasn’t shared the information it requested regarding a November water leak and gas outage in Charleston.

The PSC’s staff filed a motion last week to compel West Virginia American Water to provide the information it requested in early December.

PSC staff had asked the company to reply by Dec. 26. In its filing last week, the PSC staff says West Virginia American Water had failed to provide much of the requested information.

It accused the company of throwing “shade” on the PSC staff’s general investigation of the November event, which left hundreds of West Side residents without gas service, in some cases for weeks.

West Virginia American Water, in a subsequent filing, says a meeting will be scheduled this week with PSC staff to resolve the issues they raised.

In December, Mountaineer Gas sued West Virginia American Water, alleging that water from a broken main on Nov. 10 flooded its gas lines with water.

West Virginia American water has said it’s premature to pin the gas outages on the water main failure. It also said it would cooperate with the PSC investigation.

Mushroom Growers And The Latest On Charleston’s Gas Outage, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Pennsylvania is the biggest producer of mushrooms in the United States; followed by California. Foragers and foraging clubs find the fungus in the wild, while small farms are growing unique mushrooms to meet demand. Kat Bolus from WVIA brings us this story.

On this West Virginia Morning, Pennsylvania is the biggest producer of mushrooms in the United States; followed by California. Foragers and foraging clubs find the fungus in the wild, while small farms are growing unique mushrooms to meet demand. Kat Bolus from WVIA brings us this story.

Also, in this show, the president of West Virginia American Water cast doubt Monday on whether his company was responsible for a gas outage in Charleston last month. Curtis Tate has more.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Water Company Chief Pushes Back On Charleston Gas Outage

Rob Burton told the state legislature on Monday that it’s not certain a broken water main caused hundreds of residents on Charleston’s West Side to lose gas service last month.

Rob Burton, the president of West Virginia American Water, told the state legislature on Monday that it’s not certain a broken water main caused hundreds of residents on Charleston’s West Side to lose gas service last month.

Burton, testifying to the joint standing committee on technology and infrastructure, said the eight-inch iron pipe was installed in 1989 and could be expected to last 80 to 100 years. He said no problems with the pipe had been detected.

“The eight-inch ductile iron main was in good condition, with no history of leaks, repairs or customer issues dating back through our readily available records since 2009,” Burton testified.

From the beginning of the outage on Nov. 10, Gov. Jim Justice has blamed West Virginia American Water for causing it. Mountaineer Gas has sued the water company, and the state Public Service Commission is investigating.

Burton pushed back in his testimony Monday.

“Until there is a full investigation,” he said, “prematurely declaring what caused this incident will not be helpful to prevent such an event in the future.”

Burton said Mountaineer Gas has not provided details about the age and condition of its pipe.

“Does the gas line have a leak history?” Burton asked. “It is also unknown as to which underground utility broke first.”

Burton also said Mountaineer Gas has not explained why it couldn’t isolate more of its gas lines as the water spread through them. Water ultimately got into 46 miles of gas lines and many customers’ household service lines.

West Virginia American Water is offering a reimbursement to affected residents of as much as $2,000, provided they sign a waiver.

The PSC has said its investigation could take 180 to 250 days to complete.

PSC Investigation Of Charleston Gas Outage Could Take Months

In a filing this week, commission staff anticipate the process to take 180 to 250 days.

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.

West Virginia American Water Defends Request For Another Rate Increase

Attorneys with the PSC’s Consumer Advocate Division argued the company’s lack of improvement in facility operations failed to justify another rate hike. Since 2005, American Water customers have seen 14 rate increases.

West Virginia American Water defended its request for a proposed $41 million rate increase before a hearing held by the Public Service Commission Tuesday.

The utility provider wants to raise monthly rates by more than 22 percent for the average customer. The request is directly related to $340 million the company says is needed for water and wastewater system upgrades.

The Consumer Advocate Division said the Distribution System Improvement Charge (DISC) surcharge, which is added to customers’ bills to cover aging infrastructure improvements, is not correcting the problem. The company continues to experience an ongoing increase in water loss and has admitted that its aging water main needs to be addressed.

Earlier this year Charleston firefighters were unable to access sufficient water flow at three fire hydrants on the city’s west side while fighting a house fire. Following an investigation, the three hydrants, which underwent inspection in July 2022, were removed from service.

Mountaineer Gas filed a lawsuit against West Virginia American Water for a water main break that resulted in lost gas service for 1,500 customers on Charleston’s West Side during bitterly cold temperatures. The outage lasted nearly three weeks.

West Virginia American Water Engineering Director Michael Raymo told the PSC they are operating in the “triage mode” of infrastructure improvements, having replaced just 3 percent of the company’s inventory since 2016.

“We’re hitting all of the hot spots, the trouble spots,” Raymo said. “I think eventually we will transition to a more strategic approach, a systematic approach where we can specifically tackle and look at the age of our (water) main.”

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper questioned the company’s history of managing aging infrastructure.

“The first thing I would do is look at their record of maintenance,” Carper said. “I wouldn’t reward them for that.”

If the PSC approves the rate increase, it would not take effect until next year.