EAST BANK, W.Va. — West Virginia American Water (WVAW) completed its $820,000 acquisition of the Town of East Bank’s water distribution system in Wednesday.
Charles Blair, the Mayor of East Bank and Robert Burton, the President of WVAW signed the deal inside the eastern Kanawha County’s town hall. The company now owns and operates the system as part of its Kanawha Valley system.
Blair told 580-WCHS that there was no other choice following the acquisition of Glasgow in 2020 and the anticipated acquisition of Cedar Grove later this year.
“Glasgow sold to West Virginia American Water, Cedar Grove is going to close from West Virginia American Water from what i’ve been told. So we sold to West Virginia American Water because honestly they would have had us anyway if we hadn’t sold because we got out water from Cedar Grove,” Blair.
The town, which has around 400 customers along Rt. 61, receives $760,000 as part of the acquisition and an additional $60,000 as part of a grant.
According to Blair, WVAW will spend nearly $2.5 million in upgrades to the water system in the town. It’s a system that needs substantial infrastructure upgrades and historically lost approximately 60 percent of its treated water due to leaks, according to the company.
Burton told 580-WCHS that the upgrades will include replacing water meters, service lines in the town, main repairs and replacements. There will also be upgrades for fire hydrants and valves.
“We’ve had so much water loss, we were paying for water that was leaking out that we couldn’t find,” Blair said.
The previous residential customer rate of $38.90 per 3,000 gallons will increase to $43.46, a $4.56 increase per month. East Bank rates will increase annually until February 3, 2023 when customers reach the company’s standard rates as set by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.
Qualified customers may be eligible for a discounted rate through the company’s Special Reduced Rate program. Customers in need of financial assistance are encouraged to learn more on the company’s website.