For many years, numerous water systems in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle have been in distress. Whether it’s from industrial pollution, lack of adequate supply or simply limited infrastructure investment, many communities have been impacted and left with no or limited access to this vital resource we call water.

I grew up in the Ohio River Valley where I graduated from Paden City High School, West Liberty State College and West Virginia University. I still have family and friends who are part of the region. It’s hard to witness what many residents have had to endure when it comes to access to safe, clean and reliable drinking water. It’s also disheartening because there’s a clear solution to many of the water woes, one that includes public and private sectors working together to resolve these challenges that are too large for small communities to tackle alone.

How Public-Private

Partnerships Can Help

West Virginians

West Virginia has 276 Public Service District and municipally owned water systems, some of which serve as few as 17 customers. According to the annual reports submitted to the Public Water Commission, 64% of these public water providers had a negative net income in 2023. Many are underperforming, understaffed, underfunded and unable to keep up with necessary repairs or meet regulatory water quality standards, often despite their best efforts and intentions.

The geographic challenges of West Virginia’s rugged terrain and dispersed population centers make water infrastructure particularly complex and costly to maintain. The most recent American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card gave West Virginia a “D” grade, reflecting poor conditions across the state’s drinking water and wastewater systems. As we’ve seen in my hometown of Paden City and other areas across the region and state, our infrastructure is failing fast.

This can, and must, change. Increased investment — both public and private — will allow struggling municipalities across the state to access the resources, expertise and proven solutions they need. It means improved water quality and service reliability and the long-overdue replacement of aging and malfunctioning infrastructure.

Private investment can also support affordability. Regulated, professional water utilities like West Virginia American Water (a subsidiary of American Water, where I work) take an iterative, data-driven approach that prioritizes future investments to address the most critical needs. This means every dollar spent delivers real value, which is increasingly important in a state where public water and wastewater systems collectively carry more than $4.7 billion in debt.

In the end, spreading investments across a larger customer base can mean lower long-term costs for customers.

Of course, none of this works without increased public investment. It’s critical to funnel available resources toward infrastructure improvements that are long overdue. There’s an economic argument to be made, as well — for every $1 million invested in water infrastructure, 15 jobs are generated in local economies.

Strong infrastructure is the backbone of a strong state.

A Smart Policy Solution

West Virginia’s communities, like Paden City and communities throughout the Northern Panhandle, could significantly benefit from updates to state law that would provide a sustainable, publicly supported mechanism for long-term investment and emergency response in the state’s water and wastewater infrastructure.

Currently, in emergency situations or when a public water system is in major distress, outside utilities can be required by the state to provide aid or operate the system.

Allowing regulated utilities, public or private, to recoup costs associated with these critical interventions through public support — rather than placing those costs on the backs of existing customers — would make a tremendous difference.

As a first step, this solution would help support the growing number of failing public water systems across the state and reduce the financial burden on West Virginia ratepayers. It would also support long-term infrastructure investments that enhance system resilience and sustainability. This means change for the better.

In 2020, for example, West Virginia American Water stepped in to supply water to residents of the Page-Kincaid PSD in Fayette County after years of deteriorating quality and reliability. West Virginia American Water established an interconnection between its existing water lines and Page-Kincaid’s system to help ensure residents received safe, clean and reliable water service. Since then, West Virginia American Water has invested over $7 million in the system, marking a significant improvement for residents.

Public and private investments are essential to solving big problems, especially when it comes to something as important as water. The residents of the Northern Panhandle — and all West Virginians — deserve that kind of forward-looking approach. Safe, clean and reliable water is foundational to public health, prospering communities, economic development and a better future. Together, let’s find a new way.

Paden City native Mike Doran is the senior vice president, deputy chief operating officer and chief health and safety officer at American Water.