PRENTER CAMP, W.Va. — Vandalism is blamed for the problems which left a community of 25 homes in Boone County without water this week. Power was cut off to a substation which was damaged when thieves raided it for the copper wire on a remote site in Boone County.
ERPS, which now controls the property around Prenter Camp, had the power turned off without realizing the sub-station provided electricity to the community’s water pump. Delegate Josh Nelson (R-Boone) said he started making calls after he was contacted by desperate residents of the community.
“The company has contracted with an electrician to go in and make repairs to the facility that pumps water into the tower,” said Nelson. “Hopefully the water will be restored either tonight or tomorrow.”
West Virginia American Water Company also arrived in the community Friday with a tank of fresh water where residents could draw for household needs until the service is restored.
“The company that owns that property is really under no obligation to repair that facility, but they are doing so,” said Delegate Nelson. “So that’s a short term solution.”
The incident has shined a spotlight on the larger problem which will not be nearly as easy to fix.
“We need something long term,” said Prenter Camp resident Gini Nelson who started making the calls and getting the problem noticed. “We need city water put up through here from West Virginia American Water. I’m not going to quit until I find answers of how to do that.”
The answer will likely be money, and a lot of it. West Virginia American’s lines end within three miles of the community, but Delegate Nelson said he learned from the county commission extending the line to Prenter Camp could cost up to $2 Million.
“They would have to put a booster station in between where the current line ends and where these people are,” said the Republican delegate. “So that’s where the expense gets driven up.”
Nelson said he would put in for state grants during the upcoming legislative session to help pay for the project, but said it didn’t look promising since the state budget is already running very tight. Boone County Commissioners have also indicated they don’t foresee how it could be afforded.
“It’s a county issue the County Commission definitely needs to tackle,” said Delegate Nelson. “Granted it’s going to be pretty expensive, but that is the job of the County Commission to take care of these things and allocate state assets to make sure people are taken care of.”
“We need good water put up through here,” said Gini Nelson. “Even when the water service is restored, we still can’t drink that water. It’s the same water that we’ve had. We need something better.”