WEIRTON – In response to the three-month water issues which affected the city during the winter months, and concerns expressed by residents, members of the West Virginia Public Service Commission visited Weirton Wednesday to hear directly from the people.

“We are very concerned about what happened to you all last winter,” noted PSC Chair Charlotte Lane during Wednesday’s hearing in the Millsop Community Center. “We don’t want it to happen again.”

The Weirton Area Water Board initiated a mandatory, citywide conservation order Dec. 18 as a result of several dozen water line breaks. The order would remain in place until March 12.

The conservation order was coupled with a series of boil orders during the same period, including one for the entirety of Weirton from Dec. 27 through Jan. 3, and one for the Weirton Heights area from Jan. 23 to Feb. 6.

The PSC opened an examination of the issues surrounding the outages and orders in late February.

According to Brendan Doneghy, legal counsel for the PSC as part of the examination, his report is due by June 17, focusing on the cause of the outages, the status of the Weirton water system’s storage capabilities, as well as operational practices. The PSC then will have time to review the report, as well as comments made, before releasing any findings.

“We still have a lot of information to go through,” Doneghy said.

James Kelsh, of Bowles Rice who is serving as outside legal counsel for the Weirton Area Water Board, offered a review of the situation, claiming much of the issue was a result of this past winter’s cold weather, and that, of the 9,365 water customers, approximately 109 experienced lengthy interruptions or outages of service. He also noted Weirton was not alone in having problems with their water systems.

“Eight other systems in the vicinity also had breaks at the same time,” Kelsh said.

Kelsh also said the need for a conservation order was the result of the low “buffer” available in water production under the current treatment plant setup which has a 4 million gallon per day capacity, saying those issues will be addressed through the ongoing capacity expansion project set to be completed by April 2026.

While several dozen residents were in attendance, filling the Weirton Room, 11 stood to address the PSC, with some claiming issues with the current operations of the water system and even claiming a toxic work environment, while many pointed to what they consider poor communication between the Weirton Area Water Board and the citizens of Weirton.

Karen Mentzer recalled attending meetings of Weirton Council and the Weirton Area Water Board for at least four months, saying there were no status updates on the water system presented during any of those meetings.

She reported presenting 20 questions to the Water Board and having difficulty getting any answers, pointing to receiving various parameters of how to submit inquiries through the Freedom of Information Act.

“All we wanted was some transparency, and we weren’t getting any,” she said.

Mentzer also presented what she said were water samples she had collected, requesting the PSC analyze them.

John Kraina also expressed concerns with what he considered a lack of information.

“When I don’t get answers to relatively simple questions, it’s concerning,” he said, offering a reminder that the Water Board and other city officials work for the people.

Carole Wright said, while she wasn’t majorly affected by the outages, other family members were, and some residents still are being affected.

“There are people here who still have water issues,” she said, while saying some family pets appear to have developed health issues in recent months. “This has to be resolved someway, somehow.”

Melissa Bane said her family has had orange and cloudy water, which, at times, also has been “fizzy.”

“That was the norm for two complete months,” she said, adding her family still experiences itching after bathing, and she now takes her laundry to businesses in other communities to avoid any potential staining.

Two of those speaking previously worked for the Weirton Area Water Board.

Chris Gruda said he was a 10-year employee, claiming a poor work culture and alleging threats to employees over various issues over the years.

“I will tell you there is a culture problem; an honesty problem,” he said.

David Klar, who spent 25 years in various positions, said his experience tells him a lot of the outages were a result of a reliance on the Ohio River as the primary water source this winter. As part of the upgrades to the water treatment plant, the plant’s Ranney well was taken offline temporarily to receive upgrades, including the repair or replacement of two of its pumps.

“When that cold water shoots through the cast iron lines, they’re going to break,” Klar said.

Klar also questioned the methods used to notify the public of water outages and boil orders, saying the information is not always as clear or detailed as it could be.

The prolonged outages resulted in closures for Weirton Elementary School, as well as St. Joseph the Worker School and Madonna High School. Some in attendance commended Hancock County Schools Superintendent Dan Enich for his efforts to obtain outside water services.

Resident Gretchen Carter noted those closures had to happen as a result of a lack of water available to the facilities.

“They could not legally stay open,” Carter said. “It was not that they chose to close.”

Following the hearing, Carter’s daughter, Waverly, who attends Weirton Elementary, expressed that she had been mad about the closures as she enjoys attending school.

Speaking briefly, Jean Czernek questioned the awarding last fall of $5 million by the West Virginia Water Development Authority to the College of St. Joseph, located in Steubenville, saying she believes those funds could have been better used to address the needs of water systems, not only in Weirton, but in other communities in West Virginia.

Those in attendance also heard from William Bateman, a newcomer to Weirton, who said he was impressed by those who addressed the PSC, and feels the people of the city deserve respect, adding he feels there is the potential for future problems if concerns aren’t addressed.