CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia American Water Company customers will soon be able to join in on water related games, activities and learn about where their water comes from during the upcoming WaterFest Saturday.
The free festival will be from 1-5 p.m. at the Kanawha Valley Water Treatment Plant on Court Street in downtown Charleston.
Water treatment plant tours will be offered as well as educational demonstrations, children’s activities, face painting and refreshments.
“We see WaterFest as an excellent opportunity for us to interact with our customers face-to-face,” said company spokesperson Laura Jordan. “They not only see how their water is treated, tested and delivered, but they get to meet the people who do that day in and day out.”
Customers faced several water main breaks in recent months, specifically in the Dunbar area of Kanawha County. Jordan said the event isn’t aimed at that issue, but instead is just about building strong relationships with their customers.
“We saw such great feedback from last year’s event where customers really appreciated the time we spent with them. Most of them said ‘we had no idea all of this went on in the background,'” she said.
This year, the company will be introducing several new activities. The state Department of Environmental Protection will be providing a large fish aquarium which will allow festival goers to learn about different fish and aquatic life from the Elk River.
Attendees can also watch utility crews race against time to make a water tap, sit in the driver’s seat of machinery used in the water industry and help extinguish a model house fire.
“We also think it’ll be educational. It’s a good bridge for back to school,” Jordan said.
Parking will be available in the United Way parking lot at One United Way Square. Additional parking will be available under the interstate bridge on Court Street near Donnally Street.