The plan by the West Virginia American Water Company to shut down its Webster Springs water plant is being criticized as a wasteful expenditure of funds in light of the rate increases sought by the company.
According to filings with the Public Service Commission, the company proposes to spend over $20 million to extend a water line from its Weston system to Webster Springs. Local residents will no longer have the Elk River as its water source but will instead have it piped in from the West Fork River intake near Weston.
The company is seeking significant rate increases from its customers to cover the costs of the Weston to Webster Springs expansion, along with other proposed projects. According to one consumer group opposed to the rate increases, the $20 million expense to pipe water in from Weston is not cost effective. Only about 1,000 people are served in Webster Springs, bringing the per person expenditure of the $20 million proposal to $20,000.00 per person. In contrast, the consumer group notes that expending the same $20 million for Kanawha County upgrades would bring the per person cost down to $220.00.
The company claims the Webster Springs water plant is aging and beyond its useful life. However, consumer groups noted the company failed to do any study to determine if it needs to be replaced or repaired, or whether piping water in from Weston was cheaper. In a March, 2016 water safety protection plan, the company claimed that 21 percent of water taken from the Elk River into its Webster Springs system is lost due to leaks and other operational use.
Consumer groups also noted the danger of a centralized water system plan, where large numbers of consumers receive their water from the same source. Any contamination of that single source would have widespread implications to many more consumers.
It is not clear from any studies filed by the company whether Webster Springs residents would rather drink Weston water than that coming from the local Elk River.
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