WEIRTON, W. Va. (WTRF) - State officials are taking a closer look at what caused Weirton’s water crisis.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission is launching an investigation of the Weirton Area Water Board after West Virginia Delegate Pat McGeehan wrote a letter to the agency.
In February, McGeehan, who represents Hancock County, wrote a two-page letter to Charlotte Lane, the chairman of the PSC of West Virginia, asking them to investigate the Weirton Area Water Board.
The letter claims the failures to the water system were linked to a current water project and specifically mentions what he feels led to this crisis.
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“One of the failures in the Weirton water system appears to be linked to a decision from a around $40 million upgrade project, which was undertaken by the city of Weirton, which entailed severing one of their primary water sources from the overall system. So, in essence, the upgrades shut down one of their main wells during the cold winter months, which is basically a critical groundwater source for the system. And that potentially could have served as a sort of a catalyst for the catastrophic failure.”
Pat McGeehan | Majority Leader, WV House of Delegates
The PSC released an order Monday, Feb. 24 that says they plan to examine the causes of the water line breaks, which resulted in several outages and shortages.
The order also indicates the commission will “focus on measures, policies, and practices” of the board.
McGeehan says he didn’t write the letter to "point fingers” but to get answers for the residents who’ve been severely impacted by the water issues.
“It's only to ensure that we find the root of the problem and assure that it just doesn't happen again, because this was a very severe, systematic problem.”
Pat McGeehan | Majority Leader, WV House of Delegates
7News has reached out to the Weirton Area Water Board as well as Weirton’s attorney and are waiting for a response.
When asked if he reached out to the water board before writing the letter, McGeehan claimed “early press statements” by city officials made him think the issue wasn’t serious.
McGeehan went on to explain why he hasn’t attended public meetings about the water woes.
“My real day job has me in Weirton every day during the week. So, outside of my legislative duties here in Charleston, I'm in touch constantly with many residents of Weirton, both at my job and in the broader community. So, I didn't attend meetings at the city building for one, because I mostly don't have the time, but also because many of these meetings are simply sort of futile in the search for answers.”
Pat McGeehan | Majority Leader, WV House of Delegates
Weirton has been under a mandatory conservation order since Mid-December.
Stay with 7News for updates.