MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — More than 1,500 customers of a Morgantown area water district have been battling pressure and availability issues since for the past week.
Clinton Water District representative Patrick Kirby said 15 percent of the 11,000 customers are directly impacted by the outage and a total of 6,000 customers are included in the boil advisory/conservation order.
Crews are investigating the issue and looking for a fix and they are using all available resources to identify and solve the problem,” Kirby said.
“We had a loss of water that we’re tracking down, and we’ve had other issues not related to the loss of water in the tanks that have impacted residents,” Kirby said.
Customers have reported everything from no water at all to low pressure and some discoloration.
The staet Public Service Commission is offering assistance, and the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) will position a water buffalo at Camp Mountaineer. Additionally, a water distribution event is being held at the Hornbeck Road Walmart parking lot just south of Morgantown.
Kirby said the more residents across the district can conserve, the faster water can be restored to all customers. Many residences and businesses have committed to complying with the order in an attempt to shorten the outage period.
“We’re asking everyone—residences and businesses in the area—to restrict water use to essential uses so we can build the volume of water back up in the tanks so we can serve all of the residents as quickly as possible,” Kirby said.
As the problem is addressed, water will be moved throughout the system, which could cause disruptions as they work toward full restoration.
“Some people have experienced water loss, and some have not,” Kirby said. “Some may in the future as we move around the whole system.”
Kirby said with all available staff investigating the cause of the problem volunteers to operate the water distribution site would be a huge help.
“If there are people that want to volunteer to help out with this, that would be great,” Kirby said. “We’re trying to utilize all of our resources on the field side to get the water back on as soon as possible.”
The water distribution will continue throughout the outage period in the parking lot of the Hornbeck Road Walmart. Officials are looking for volunteers to help with the distribution that is being done from a white tent in the parking lot.
Kirby said for the customers that can’t make it to the Walmart, multiple agencies have stepped up to transport water to those in need.
“We’re working with MECCA 911, and many other local agencies that have been a huge help including the Public Service Commission and the Monongalia County Health Department and will try to make sure everyone has water.”
For questions please call 304-292-3088.