FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – The area of Page-Kincaid here in Fayette County has once again been put on a Boil Water Advisory.
This time, the Page-Kincaid Public Service District says it is because of the power outages over the weekend that caused an electrical problem at the well where the water is pumped.
Anessia Cassidy said her water turned brown and sludgy on Sunday morning.
“Then I went over and turned on my bath tub and this is what come out of the bath tub,” Cassidy said.
She held up a jar full of thick, brown water, but she says this is nothing new for those who live in Page-Kincaid as she says the water has been of inconsistent quality for about two years.
According to PSD Commissioner John David, they have been trying to make about $3 million dollars worth of repairs, but he says that West Virginia American Water trying to intervene is keeping them from doing that.
Both entities are currently at a deadlock as the PSD wants American Water to have the sewer system too, and American Water says they’ll look at it but won’t accept it as a package deal.
All the while, residents aren’t able to drink the water and even boiling the discolored water is cause for concern making other everyday activities like showering or washing clothes difficult or impossible.
While the residents say this issue has been going on for two to three years, David says otherwise.
“Since the last filter was put in last fall, the water has been fine until we had a break Memorial Day I think. Vandalism,” David said. “And then we had to also fix it and issue a Boil Water Advisory, so a statement that it’s been going on for years is totally false.”
Residents like Cassidy say it has been a lot of finger pointing between government officials and entities while those who live there have to deal with the consequences during a global pandemic.
“I’ve lived here on Route 61 for 45 years and the last two years, this water has been terrible. Something has to change,” she said.
The Fayette County Commission petitioned to have all three PSD board members removed, and they will appear in court for a status hearing on August 14.
The Public Service Commission in Charleston, the governing body over the PSD, held a status conference last week between American Water and the PSD. An order is expected on that in the coming weeks.
