PSC Grants Paden CIty Permission to Use Temporary Electric Circuit for Air Stripper Tower

(Photo by Shelley Hanson) Shown here is the air stripper building in Paden City.
PADEN CITY – The West Virginia Public Service Commission has granted a request from Paden City’s Municipal Waterworks to install a temporary electric circuit for its air stripper tower.
The PSC had previously ordered the city to install a manual transfer switch to provide backup power to the air stripper in case of another electrical outage. However, the city says it is awaiting the necessary parts to install a manual switch and in the meantime proposed the temporary electric circuit.
“The city’s chief water operator had consulted with a commission staff engineer, who advised that the installation of a temporary electric circuit that connects the air stripper to the generator would be an acceptable temporary remedy in the event of a power outage until the automatic transfer switch is installed,” according to PSC.
Backup power is needed because a power outage led to the air stripper not working, causing water tainted with PCE, aka tetrachloroethylene, to enter the city’s water supply, last year. The PCE is in the city’s aquifer and the air stripper is necessary to remove most of it.
After the water became tainted it took a few weeks for the city to flush out the system. During that time residents had to drink bottled water and were advised against using it for washing as well.
“It remains critical that the air stripper unit have a backup electrical source to prevent failures similar to what occurred in September 2023 and to reduce the likelihood of untreated groundwater passing through the city’s water system,” the PSC noted. “While the goal is to permanently connect the air stripper unit to the water treatment plant’s electrical circuit, in the interim, the city will ensure the continued operation of the unit by immediately installing a temporary electrical circuit in the event of a power failure.”
This change to the PSC’s original order was made Sept. 4. According to the PSC, the commission’s case investigating whether Paden City’s waterworks is a distressed or failing utility is still pending.
Paden City has been declared a federal Superfund site because of the PCE contamination. The root of the contamination is from the suspected dumping of chemicals at the former Band Box dry cleaners business in the city.
State and federal environmental officials have been conducting water and air testing related to the contamination. After testing is complete, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will release its remedial investigation report in mid-2025. A feasibility study for remediation is expected to be released mid-2026.
Concerns about PCE air contamination, aka vapors, were voiced by the Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassie Porter this past summer, leading to her closing the school. However, a decision in Circuit Court led to the school reopening. That decision has been appealed to the West Virginia Supreme Court and is pending. Recently, however, the school board of education has decided to pursue consolidating some school buildings, which would likely lead to Paden City High School closing anyway. The board cited poor test scores and staffing shortages as the reason for the proposed consolidation.