Residents of Northern West Virginia Get Green Light to Use Tap Water Again
Good news for the folks up in Northern West Virginia! After nearly a month of being cautious, it’s finally safe to turn on the tap again. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has given the green light to resume using tap water in the area, ending a worrisome chapter for the community.
The trouble began on August 16 when a pump valve decided to act up at the Paden City Water Works treatment plant. This mishap led to the release of a hazardous substance called tetrachloroethylene into the tap water supply for the Ohio River community. Not something you want in your H2O, that’s for sure!
Tetrachloroethylene might sound like a complicated term, but it’s essentially a nasty chemical that dry cleaners often use. Sadly, the local dry cleaner in Paden City had already closed its doors earlier this century. Talk about bad timing!
But here’s the good part. After a lot of hard work and troubleshooting, they managed to fix the leak. The water system got a thorough flush, and water samples were tested until they got the all-clear signal. It’s like when you’re trying to convince your friends that the pool is finally clean enough to jump into!
Paden City Superintendent Josh Billiter explained, “At this point probably, we’ve pumped somewhere in the neighborhood of eight or nine million gallons of water out through the system and out, so if there’s any left in the system, it’s a very trace amount.” Translation: They’ve worked hard to make sure the water is super clean now.
So, folks in Paden City, it’s time to put away those bottled waters and go back to enjoying the good old tap water. Just remember to drink responsibly!