Page 7 - West Virgina Magazine 811 2017 Issue 3
P. 7

EVMlch.:e/Downes
sate Wmer .

WVAW helps to protect half a million water users with membership in WV811
est virginia American service eonneetions aiirl maintain. And tliat number lia. inerea.-erl to more
water (WVAW) lies a long a labyrintli oi4,z7t miles of Willcr tlian gun a month 7 meaning tliey liaye
liistory serving customers main. tlirougliout tlieir .eryice area, more opportunitie. to locate tlieir line.-
in tlie state, and tliey ranging in size from lialt met. to 43 inela prior to eon.-truetion of everytliing irom

recently took an oppornrnity most diameter. a liigliway to a residential ience.
"‘“"'“*’"l ‘we’ ""“°"“ d‘“‘_ ' ’ ‘}“ That's a lot of underground utilities to As a result of being able to mark line.
eliance to be a part or tlie we.t virginia
protect, given tlie amount or digging bcfnm digging activities take place,
8“ 5’S“"“ atllvlty taking place iii tlie state so tliey'i~e already .ten a decrease in
in west virginia and many otlier WVAW teamed up Wllh wvtm about tlie number oibroken lines. Tlie cost.
states, underground protection laW~ a year ago to bring all or tlieir pipelines oi fixing a damaged line ean add up
require partieipation in tlie one call under tlie protective iimlirella oi tlie quickly, witli a h ineli water main
system by many stakelaolclers 7 most one eall .y.-tem. Scvcml oi tlieir WEllL‘r requiring liunrlrt-ds, thousand. or ei~en
notably public urilitie. and pipeline di.-trict. laacl been members lit-tore, but ten. or tlmu.anrls oi rlrrllar. to repair,
and eommunications companies. But now tlie entire company is onboard depending on tlie tomplnxlty oi tlie ieb
municipalities are usually excluded and rrtlier iaetrrr..
. Laura said lier company became a

fmm tliat requirement, and most liandle

. . . member to decrease tlie trequency nl Plus, being a member or wvtttt allows
their own locate requests using their .

_ broken lines due to utilities not being tor better .eliediiling oi line locate.-
°""“ maps ““d l°°’“‘"“ located prior to digging aetivities. due to ad\'r1ncL‘ knowledge ul plannerl
But tlie teatures and benetits nf utility damage can be a common work, Laura said, wlaieli .aye.- even
membersliip in a one eall system like problem for niunieipalities tliat don't more time and money.
wvsll far ourweigli tlie cost ofjmning, partieipate in tlie one eall .y.-tem, Ummmv WVAW dmdcd um
aoeordmg to spokesperson Laura as liandling a liigli volume of locate t_ do! d h _ _ M V (1
Martin, extenial affairs manager with requests can strain already tiglit §"’ ‘ ““d 1”‘ '2“ °_‘ “‘_‘§°:E ‘_‘t' 2
WVAW budgets. And in other situation.-, “"“‘:“ 1 “L;  ‘ W’ “I :1

. zxcnvaturs target or simply dun’! nulify '“°‘“ “‘ “P ° “‘"“ P"‘" °
rlie company lias prowded clean mg mum my Whm my “D am out tliat atter a water main is broken,
driiilcing water in the state since . . P. — ‘ 5 5 it i.-n’t iust tlie lias.le of scrambling

to dig. lanngmg all of tlie underground

tliey began operating in Huntington . . a crew to fix tlie pipe tliat i. at i.siie

. tacilities under tlie same notification

in lose. in tlie last 130-plus years, Di.ruption to eustomer. 7 including
parent eompany Ameriean water lias  “"“"‘“‘“ "’"“' °‘ '}“"“ lio.pital. and industry 7 is a liuge
Expanded past tlie slate’: borders ’ ' errneern, a. well a. tlie ri.k or storage
and maintains regulated operations And tlie memberslaip is paying ott, tanks being drained Public liealtli

in a mm! of 15 states tlirougliout tlie aceording to Laura. eoneerns like buil water advisories also
eountry. rliey entered the cbarleston WVAW hm mu A sigmmm mm“ take a toll on munieipal water .y.-tems,
area atter puroliasmg a competitor in , . eroding public eonodenee in tlie system
1965 in the number of notices of intent h 1 d

' to dig, or loeate requests, since tliey ‘ ‘Y "" Y °“ ”""”' “V' B
WVAW serves an estimated 550,000 ioined tlie system laetore ioining, tliey
people in are state tlirougli 158,000 received about lsu requests per montli.







































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