Paden City Residents Frustrated As Water Issues Reoccur
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PADEN CITY -- Paden City residents are tired of being sick and tired as they navigate their current days without being able to use city water. It's a problem they say has been around before the latest issues.
Paden City remains under a "do not use" order for its city water. An electrical malfunction at an air stripper plant allowed tetrachloroethylene (PCE) to enter Paden City's water system and reach levels that a mid-July test showed was six times higher than national standards. Local officials said they have flushed the system of the bad water, but they are still waiting for test results to see if it is safe to drink, bathe in and wash clothes or dishes.
Periodic water distributions have been held, but the residents said they want meaningful action to correct the situation for good.
City residents have dealt with PCE issues in the past. According to previous published reports, the chemical was found in Paden City's groundwater during testing in both 2010 and 2017. In January 2020, Paden City's water authority told residents that PCE was found in the water at levels three times the federal limit. In May 2020, the air stripper plant was put into operation to remove the chemical from the water.
Resident Charlie Duke said Wednesday he worked for the water department for a time about 30 years ago and has some experience with the system. He believes the city should start buying water from another city.
"We need a new water source. I don't know what's happening, but I fear it's going to happen again," he said.
"Something just doesn't seem right."
Duke said he began buying bottled water years ago but doing so became too expensive. He was also concerned about the chance of PCE getting into the system again.
He decided in November 2022 to purchase a special filtration system for his home. It is supposed to filter out a number of pollutants including "industrial solvents," he said. Duke isn't sure his system also filters out PCE. He soon plans to have the water from his tap tested for peace of mind.
His system cost $500 and he installed it himself. A pack of three larger filters cost $189. He also installed a separate Culligan filtration system to catch the water first before it heads into the larger, more expensive filtration system. The first filter, he said, catches all the dirt and sediment in the water.
Before ever hearing about PCE, residents said they complained about their water being red or brown at times. Duke's wife, Linda Duke, said sometimes it smelled like there was too much chlorine in the water as well. It was so strong, she said, one could taste it in pasta she cooked.
Charlie Duke said when this happened he would call the water plant and they would make adjustments.
John Decker lives outside of the city, but takes care of two developmentally challenged adults in a group home setting in Paden City.
Since learning the city's water is unusable he's been bringing water for himself and the men to drink from his own home in Pleasants County. He has also been taking them to showers offered in Sistersville.
He describes the water crisis in Paden City as being "grossly mishandled" by local officials.
Resident Nancy Springer said she has felt a lot of anxiety over the situation, and said that local government should look toward Gov. Jim Justice and other state officials for help.
During his Wednesday virtual briefing, Gov. Jim Justice said state officials are "closely monitoring everything there. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is working with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Health and Human Resources also is looking at the situation, Justice said.
"Everyone is working to assure that the residents of Paden City are safe and we're going to get great and good drinking water back as quickly as we possibly can," he said, "and as quickly as we can under the guidelines of it being safe."