UPDATE: RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – As many residents throughout the Raleigh County area continue to navigate ongoing water issues, contractors are reportedly being brought in by Beckley Water Company to assist with repairs.
A Wednesday morning update from Beckley Water Company indicates that work remains ongoing and that customers may still be looking at a 2-3 day wait period before service is restored.
“We are still working and have contractors coming in to assist with repairs,” read the statement. “We are estimating that water should be restored with 48-72 hours. Thank you for your understanding and patience.”
Beckley Water Company also reiterated the status of the Boil Water Advisory, which was issued on Tuesday and pertains only to those in areas affected by water shortages and outages or those currently experiencing discoloration in their water supply.
Tuesday’s release from the Beckley Water Company indicated that it was unclear at the time whether the widespread issues came about as a result of a system error of some sort, or due to variables based on customer use. These questions remain unanswered at the time of writing.
County residents have been actively making their way to stores throughout the area to procure water in the wake of the outages, with Beckley’s ‘The Water Store’ closing early Tuesday after having sold all available water and water containers.
LOOTPRESS will continue to provide updates to the situation as further information becomes available.
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RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Residents of many areas throughout Raleigh County have reported loss of water utilities in the wake of extreme temperatures and high usage.
Along with the holidays over the weekend came plummeting temperatures which impacted various facets of day-to-day life in the local area. Along with difficulty traveling and maintaining indoor heat, a prevalent issue faced as a result of the changing climate has been freezing and bursting water pipes.
Customers in several areas including Beckley, Eccles, Glen Daniel, Sophia/Trap Hill, and Cool Ridge have reported disruptions in service, while Beckley Water Company confirms reports of low pressure and outages affecting customers in a number of regions.
John S. Zilinski, Director of Raleigh County Emergency Services issued a statement on Tuesday morning regarding widespread concerns pertaining to reported water outages, assuring that Beckley Water Company has been utilizing staff in an effort to isolate and address water leaks in the system.
“As of this morning Beckley Water has all staff out looking for water leaks. After the freeze there seems to be several water lines busted including sprinkler systems and water mains at several businesses in and around Beckley,” said Zilinski.
Water tanks which supply the town of Sophia and surrounding areas, as well as those which supply the Raleigh County Public Service District and Glen White area are purportedly extremely low, resulting in low pressure and lack of water in many of these areas. Additionally, major water leaks have been reported in the Harper Road area and are currently being contained, per Zilinski.
While the nature of the service issues themselves are coming to light, it remains unclear whether the issues have arisen due to residential freezing, issues with the water system itself, or a combination of the two.
“There [have] been reports of folks without water for a couple of days, but it has been undetermined if it was due to residential waterline freezing or water company issues,” Zilinski continues.
“We will assess the situation later this evening, depending on the report from the water companies.”
The statement also indicates that the Beckley Emergency Operating Center is actively supplying water to fire departments for distribution to individuals who may not be able to gain access to the essential resource, such as the elderly or shut-ins.
As confirmed by both Zilinski and Beckley Water Company, the entire Beckley Water Supply system has been placed on a precautionary Boil Water Advisory as of Tuesday morning.
The advisory applies to all Beckley Water Company customers in areas affected by these outages.
“This notice is being issued due to extremely low temperatures, high water usage and main breaks,” read a release from Beckley Water Company. “Crews are working to fix the issues as they are identified.”
Residents in affected areas are encouraged to bring water to a boil for a full minute and allow it to cool before using. Additionally, it is recommended that boiled or bottled water be used for drinking, ice-making, brushing teeth, washing dishes, bathing, and preparation of food until further notice.
While work to address the issues at hand is currently underway, issues are anticipated to persist over the next 2-4 days.
“Beckley Water crews are working to reestablish normal conditions and we will inform customers when it is no longer necessary to boil the water,” the statement continues. “We anticipate resolving the issues with 48-96 hours. ”
Regarding the Boil Water Advisory, Beckley Water Company has stated that those who have not been affected by the water outages will not need to adhere to the advisory.
LOOTPRESS will continue to provide updates to the situation as further information becomes available. Additional LOOTPRESS coverage for the Raleigh County area can be found here.