|Photo by Christopher Dacanay| Prime bookstore and ice cream parlor owner David Rogerson celebrated water finally running through a faucet in his store that had run dry for the past five days. 

WEIRTON — Ongoing water line issues in the city of Weirton have disrupted the lives of many, leaving certain residents with boil orders, reduced water pressure or no water at all.

The Weirton Area Water Board estimated Monday that issues may not stabilize for another two weeks, with the conservation order expected to remain through most of February.

The issue has also affected Weirton businesses. From restaurants to schools, the lack of potable water — or water at all — has posed a challenge for various organizations, though they’ve each adapted to their unique situations.

“We’ve adapted. … We just did what we had to do to keep the business open,” recalled David Rogerson, owner of Prime — a bookstore, candy shop and ice cream parlor on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Rogerson said he’s had to purchase water, but business has continued as normal. The issue appeared to be on a “downward slope” Tuesday, Rogerson said, as he excitedly turned his faucet to reveal running water. The faucet had been mostly dry for the past five days but was “gradually” restored.

A lack of water did threaten Prime’s ninth-annual celebration of National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, which the business began planning months ago. Each year, Rogerson said, changes in the weather tend to pose a threat, but this year’s enemy proved to be a possible lack of water in the restrooms.

Rogerson said he’d explored contingency plans, namely limiting all orders to carry-out. Water’s resumed flow seemed to signal that festivities could continue as normal, but Rogerson still ordered jugs of water for attendees to use.

“If we can get through Saturday, we’ll be all right,” he remarked.

Thankfully for Prime, this issue happened during the winter, a slow segment of the year for the business. Had this taken place in the summer, it may have been a different story, Rogerson said.

The water issue hasn’t affected Rogerson’s own residence, he said, adding that he feels sorry for individuals dealing with the effects in their own homes.

“I’m fortunate. There are other residents … (who) are in a nightmare situation.”

Staff at the Pennsylvania Avenue pet store Little Critters have had to boil water for animals to drink.

“All our animals need to have food and water every day, so it’s been quite a challenge,” manager Megan Moredock said, adding, “We’re trying, it’s just hard.”

Little Critters has managed to function, thanks to its own filtration system. However, it’s been cutting back on changing the water in its 76 fish tanks — ranging from 10 to 65 gallons — in order to conserve water. Water changes must be done regularly to prevent waste buildup that could be toxic to the fish, Moredock said.

“We’re a fish store that can’t use water. It’s quite frustrating,” she said.

Customers also are struggling to change the water in their own fish tanks. Moredock said they can bring a sample of their tank’s water to Little Critters, where staff will test it. If it’s still good quality, they can forgo the change. If not, they need to refill the tank somehow, which might mean purchasing water or boiling enough to fill the tank. Moredock emphasized the importance of tank owners keeping their filters rinsed and topping off tanks with bottled water.

Little Critters also offers dog grooming, but the water pressure has occasionally been so low, that rinsing off dogs has been particularly time-consuming, Moredock said. That means staff must frequently rework the schedule, which is problematic when it’s already booked out six to eight weeks at a time.