AMANDAVILLE, W.Va. — Two massive concrete circles rise skyward on a hillside in the Amandaville community. Those will soon hold eight million gallons of water to supply customers along the West Virginia American Water System.
“These are two of the largest tanks in our water system across the state,” said West Virginia American Water Company Spokesperson Laura Martin. “We have currently 190 altogether, but these are some of the largest and they’ll add eight million gallons of treated water storage to the Kanawha Valley System.”
The region learned the need for stored water following the 2014 water emergency. Martin admitted they had the water crises in mind when they began the project, but it wasn’t the only reason for the additional storage.
“This is really to address that need that if we have an emergency we have some additional back-up water stored,” she said. “But it will also be used through the day within the system. It’s not like it’s going to hold water, stored there and unused. It will actually continue to maintain pressure and flow for residents in that area.”
Construction on the massive concrete tanks started in January and the twin towers are now visible above the ground on the hilltop west of St. Albans.
“It’s about a nine million dollar project,” Martin explained. “It required a tremendous amount of earth moving and site preparation. The tanks are up visually, but there is still some work to be done. We expect they’ll be fully in service by the end of the year.”
The cost of the project is already being covered by West Virginia American water customers through a new surcharge which was approved last year by the state Public Service Commission. The Distribution System Improvement Surcharge amounts to about 52 cents a month on every customer’s bill.
The site was selected because of its location, gradient, and the landowner was willing to sell.
“We looked at a significant number of sites, but it was difficult to find a site that met the hydraulic needs and had the land we needed,” she said. “Primarily it was the right elevation in the right location. “