CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has festivals dedicated to everything from strawberries to buckwheat, ramps to chocolate. Now you can add water to that list.
West Virginia American Water Company is holding WaterFest this Saturday at the Kanawha Valley Water Treatment Plant in Charleston on Court Street.
“It gives people the chance to come in and see where their water comes from, see how it’s treated, see how it gets from the source — the Elk River — to their taps and also get to meet the people who are behind all of that work,” explained WVAW Spokesperson Laura Jordan.
It’s been 30-years since WVAW had a WaterFest. That was back when the company turned 100. Jordan said with the water crisis back in January still fresh on everyone’s minds, this is a way to help the public learn more about the water purification process and how the company is working and changing to make their tap water better every day.
“It’s particularly important this year because we’ve heard people’s increased interest in wanting to see how water is treated and how it’s distributed,” said Jordan. “We wanted to make it a focal point to have this kind of open house and festival.”
WVAW used to give a lot of tours to school children and civic groups. That’s slacked off a lot in recent years. She said the WaterFest is a chance for the whole family to visit the plant. You can learn how to “fix” a water leak, hop on the heavy equipment used to make repairs and find out how a water meter works.
The event is set from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Parking will be available at the United Way.