Paden City Receives New Order from PSC Regarding Its Water Plant
PADEN CITY – The West Virginia Public Service Commission has ordered Paden City to install a manual transfer switch to provide backup power for its air stripper – the unit that keeps toxic PCE out of the municipality’s drinking water – in case of another power outage.
The service commission issued the order on July 23, noting that it has been eight months since the city said it would install an automatic transfer switch.
“The commission requires the city of Paden City and the Paden City Municipal Water Works to immediately install a manual transfer switch to provide a backup electrical source for the air stripper unit and to provide monthly status updates about the automatic transfer switch,” the order states.
In 2023 during an electrical storm, power was lost to the air stripper, allowing the PCE, aka tetrachloroethylene or perchloroethylene, to flow into the city’s water system.
The air stripper was installed to remove the PCE, which is in the city’s water source, its underground aquifer. Federal and state environmental officials have traced the source of the PCE to the former Band Box dry cleaners building, which is located adjacent to Paden City High School and its football field.
Because the water system had become tainted with PCE, the commission ordered that the city’s water customers not use or drink the water until the system could be flushed out. The process took weeks to remedy, leaving residents to rely on bottled water for drinking and cooking.
Back in January, city officials told commission members that the air stripper was still not connected to the city’s backup generator because they were waiting for the transfer switch. At that time, city officials believed it would arrive “within the next two weeks,” but apparently it did not.
“The commission acknowledges the city’s effort and realizes that supply-chain issues are beyond the city’s control,” the order notes. “The air stripper unit, however, must have a backup electrical source to prevent failures similar to what occurred in the Summer of 2023 and to reduce the likelihood of untreated groundwater passing through the city’s water system.”
The order goes on to state that the city should also assign responsibility to more than one person to flip the manual transfer switch in case a power outage occurs again.
“So that if the responsible staff member is unavailable, another person is aware of the responsibility,” the order states. “Also, the city should inform the commission when the manual switch is installed, any change in the delivery status of the automatic transfer switch, if it is canceled, delayed, or received, until such time that the automatic switch is installed.”
The U.S. EPA continues to investigate the contamination and plans to create a plan for remediation in 2025.
EPA officials say continued testing of the water shows that it is below the allowable limits and is safe to drink and use. The air stripper, they said, is working as it should. Some residents, however, do not believe any amount of PCE should be allowed in drinking water. The EPA has dubbed the chemical a known neurotoxin, kidney toxin, liver toxin and a probable carcinogen.