CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia American Water Company knows it has some work to do when it comes to customer confidence after the water crisis.
For the past week and a half it’s been nearly nonstop for the company. They’ve been taking samples of the contamination, getting those results out to the more than 100,000 customers in a 9-county area and answering a lot of questions.
Laura Jordan, a spokesperson with WVAWC, said customers are still asking if the water coming through their pipes is safe to drink.
“I think there is a lot of trust just to be regained in the water source, in their drinking water supply,” stressed Jordan.
She said that lack of public confidence is concerning.
“We certainly hope it’s not a lack of public confidence in our company because this was an issue we couldn’t control and we certainly didn’t cause it. We do want customers to know that we’re dealing with it. We’re handling it. We have taken it and run with it 24 hours a day,” according to Jordan.
The company continues to sample the water. Jordan said until there are no trace amounts of MCHM, the chemical that leaked into the Elk River from Freedom Industries, she knows there will be those who are very cautious about water use.
However, she stressed, WVAWC will continue updating customers on the very latest information.
“We’ll continue to do that until we can reassure them down to the most detailed level about the quality of water in their system,” Jordan said.