Fairmont water utility builds resilience into water system amid drought

Oct. 4—FAIRMONT — Recent rains brought a respite to Fairmont's beleaguered water lines.

The state has been under a severe drought, which has led to an increased number of leaks across the city. Fairmont Utility Manager John Carson likened the stress that the water lines experience to what happens during the winter, when the ground freezes and shifts.

"During a drought like this, or extreme dry spell, that ground will also shift," Carson said. "Things tend to break a little bit more."

Carson and City Manager Travis Blosser said the City has been able to keep up with the breaks. The City has more than enough in terms of repair parts and manpower to cope. Another bit of good news is it appears there haven't been more breakages than average, which goes against what is typically expected.

However, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the drought will last into 2025. Misty Spittler, a certified public adjuster at Insurance Claim Recovery Support, said on one occasion, she worked with a client who suffered extensive water damage in Texas after a mainline break. ICRS is an insurance claims adjustment firm based in Texas. The utility company responsible for the line was overwhelmed with similar issues caused by a drought.

"Municipalities must invest in infrastructure improvements to prepare for these kinds of events," Spittler said. "Upgrading pipes to withstand temperature and pressure changes, improving monitoring systems to detect leaks faster and increasing water storage capacity will help avoid service disruptions during droughts and other extreme weather. With climate change, many areas are likely to face longer, more severe droughts, so infrastructure preparedness is key."

One common refrain about West Virginia's drought is how abnormal it is compared to past events.

Blosser said the City is building resilience to meet any challenges to the water system. Although the City's water supply dipped below its normal levels for the summer, it still remained above the level the city has measured out to be appropriate. Carson said the City maintains a warehouse of spare parts, ensuring it has the appropriate materials or larger diameter pipes necessary for repairs.

Fairmont's water utility has also evaluated its storage capacities and looked at potential options for upgrades. Blosser said the City plans to work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency to secure federal grant money to help increase its storage capacity.

The City is also making headway in its staffing shortage. The City has seen an increase in the applicant pool as well as employee retention. Pay increases from City Council have also helped. While the leaks have taken away from some of the City's other projects, new hires should help the City build capacity in what work it undertakes.

Carson said overall, the water system is fairly well maintained. There was a large project in the early 2000s in which the City replaced a lot of water lines in Fairmont. While there is some aging infrastructure alongside newer pipes, Carson said the bigger issue is to keep it well maintained so no new issues develop.

"I think it's important for utilities, not just the City of Fairmont, but for all utilities, to always be thinking about resiliency," Blosser said. "Water is such an important aspect of everybody's daily life. I think every utility system should be mindful and I think Fairmont residents and our broader utility customers should be thankful that we're dedicated to ensuring that we're keeping the water flowing."