EDITORIAL: Some pain, lots to gain from Clarksburg water line project

As the Clarksburg Water Board continues to deal with a massive lead-pipe replacement project, with a price tag that has soared to about $58 million, it’s great to see more grant funding being made available.

Kudos to U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and her fellow lawmakers who helped to steer about $7 million to the project recently through funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.

More than 119,000 linear feet of water line will be replaced during the project, including 58,000 feet of service lines. Many of these lines are 80 to 100 years old, causing the increased concern about lead contamination, as well as an increased rate of leaks.

Thanks to grants like the most recent one from the EPA, the project has received a little over $20 million in funding that won’t have to be paid back.

The Water Board has also received about $38 million in loans, with about $8 million of that including some form of repayment forgiveness.

That leaves about $30 million in low- or no-interest loans that will need to be repaid. But in return, customers will have safer lines and improved water quality. Also, the system should benefit from the newer lines, with fewer major breaks and water loss.

To this point, the board and its staff have handled a difficult situation admirably. Yes, there have been some hiccups, such as low water pressure leading to a boil-water advisory, as well as the closure of affected roadways.

But as General Manager Jason Myers told Water Board members during their meeting on Wednesday, the benefits will be significant.

“One of the many being improved water quality,” he said. “We are also looking at the benefits for our fire departments here in Clarksburg. With the new lines being put into place, there will be new fire hydrants placed in as well.

“The new replacement will actually help us out in the long run. For example, if we have a leak in a pipe on Second Street, we can turn the valves off for that street specifically. This will allow us to shut off specific valves without hindering other areas of service.”

We applaud the efforts of the Water Board and its staff thus far, especially in coordinating the line replacement work with local and state paving programs so disturbed roadways can be restored to full use while efficiently using taxpayers’ money.

While there remains plenty of work to do, we’re confident the Water Board will see the project through in an efficient and effective way to best serve the residents of not only Clarksburg, but much of Harrison County.