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West Virginians Push for Public Takeover of Water System
By: Associated Press
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West Virginia residents who are fed up with water main breaks and boil water advisories are pressing for a public takeover of the water system in the Kanawha Valley.
Crumbling drinking water infrastructure is causing headaches for businesses and residents across the country.
In West Virginia, a group of activists says the private company that operates its water system isn’t doing enough to maintain and improve the region’s infrastructure. It says residents could hold a public water system more accountable.
A spokeswoman for West Virginia American Water says the group’s claims aren’t “fact based.” She said the company has boosted it’s spending on water systems to $35 million to $40 million a year and has continued to invest in new and replacement infrastructure.