TRACE FORK, W.Va. — Motorists traveling into Charleston during the morning commute Tuesday got an unusual site as they approached the city.
A 100-foot geyser of water sprayed high above the tree tops just north of the Trace Fork shopping plaza. The cause was a broken air release valve on a 16 inch water transmission line.
“We did have quite a few reports just because you could see it from Corridor G if you were heading from Boone County to Charleston,” said West Virginia American Water Company Spokesperson Laura Martin. “Some of our own employees saw it and took pictures. We were certainly well aware of it and we had crews responding right away.”
Although it was quickly reported, Martin added it wasn’t quickly eliminated.
“We actually let it run intentionally this morning,” she said. “When we realized it was an air release valve and not an actual break on the main, our crews try to do all they can to not disrupt water service to customers.”
The line supplies water to all of the shops in the Trace Fork, Dudley Farms, and Southridge Shopping plazas. It also carries water service to homes beyond the row of strip malls along U.S. Route 119. Installed in the mid 1990’s, the line is equipped at intervals with air release values which allow a spot for air to escape when its in the line. The valve prevents a rupture in the line itself and in this case when it blew, it actually broke allowing the water under high pressure to shoot out as well. The break happened on top of a hill and wasn’t easily accessible.
“It was a little bit difficult to access since its up on the mountain that overlooks Corridor G. There’s actually no road out here to where the repairs are being made,” said Martin. “We actually had to wait for somebody from the shopping center to come an open a chain across the road so we could get equipment into the site.”
Repairs were expected to be complete by late Tuesday afternoon. Although the water service was not stopped, Martin said some customers on the far end of the line could experience low water pressure or a potential outage as repairs are made to the valve.