Second hearing on proposed sale of water systems to West Virginia American Water takes place in Ronceverte

By Dakota Baker, RealWV

RONCEVERTE, W.Va. — A public hearing was held Tuesday, Aug. 25, related to Ordinance 2026-05 — the possible sale of Ronceverte’s water and wastewater systems to West Virginia American Water Company. The first reading of this ordinance was held on Aug. 10, 2026. 

In attendance were council members Emilee White, Leah Smith, Ashley Guet, Matt Bergman, and Deena Pack. Mark Trent attended by phone. 

Statement from Mayor Deena Pack

Mayor Deena Pack said: 

“The city was approached nearly two years ago by West Virginia American Water with an offer to purchase our water and wastewater systems. As a council, along with our city administrator, we spent countless hours conducting research, comparing and contrasting numbers, attending meetings, and having phone calls and discussions with other municipalities.”

“We made every effort to consider all possible options because we are very aware of the importance of this moment and decision. Those of us sitting up here tonight were elected by the citizens of Ronceverte to make decisions that we believe to be in the best interest of everyone who lives here in Ronceverte. That includes each of us as well.” 

“The decisions we make will affect people who live here now and the people who we hope will be moving to our town in the next five, 10, 15, or even 20 years. The weight on all of our shoulders is great, and we take the responsibility very seriously.”

“If I had a time machine, I would go back to the mid-1990s and beg that administration in Ronceverte to find a way to rebuild our water plant that was destroyed by the flooding. The decision not to build a new water plant altered the trajectory of our water system and its capabilities forever.”

“I am grateful that, at that time, Lewisburg was able to start selling water to Ronceverte. However, that meant that Ronceverte would inevitably pay more for water than Lewisburg and other surrounding municipalities. Alderson and White Sulphur Springs both have their own water plants and pay less for water than we do here in Ronceverte. Lewisburg and Fairlea residents also pay lower rates, in large part because Ronceverte does not have its own water plant.”

“To make matters worse, in order to start repairing and replacing 100-year-old terra cotta water lines, it became necessary for the city to seek funding for updates, which also increased rates on our citizens. The city had no choice but to start making these improvements, and the need for more upgrades to our system still exists. When the city started those projects, water loss at times was hitting more than 70 percent.”

“Although water was being purchased from Lewisburg, 70 percent of what was purchased was being lost. Each month, the City of Ronceverte was paying more for water than it was receiving from its citizens.”

“I was on the city council at the time these projects were approved. We were hopeful that the projects would decrease water loss. Some of the projects have been completed, while others are still waiting to be completed, and they have decreased water loss some. But not by the amounts we expected or hoped.”

“It is important to note that we have done many things to try to  locate the source of the leaks in our system. We have used leak detection equipment, brought in West Virginia Rural Water to try to help locate the leaks, brought in other contractors, and we’ve dug up places we thought might be the source of leaks, all to no avail.”

“Despite our best efforts, we are still losing upwards of 50 percent of the water we are purchasing, putting us at a deficit every month, which is not sustainable.”

“Although we continue to pay our monthly costs associated with the water projects and our water system, we’ve been advised through our most recent audit that a rate increase is necessary to ensure that the city is paying more than the bond amounts to provide for the operations and maintenance fund. As a small municipality, we cannot keep doing that. There is not enough money for us to keep doing that. That is no fault of our city employees; that is just the way it is.” 

“We also have a great wastewater treatment plant. We’ve been told many times that our plant is one of the best in the state. However, no matter how good a plant is, there are certain maintenance and operational costs that arise just as a normal part of day-to-day operations. Many of the parts used to operate our plant are made in Canada and Europe, which is true for most plants, but it makes for a costly and time-consuming process when things need to be replaced or repaired. For example, one of our filters had to be replaced recently, and just that one filter was $90,000. Only 5 percent of the water being treated through the plant is coming from Ronceverte.”

“We also had discussions with other municipalities about the sale of the water system. We wanted to make sure we were considering every possible option for the city. However, any sale would also include a rate increase for customers. We did discuss potential upgrades as part of that process, but there was no guarantee any upgrades would happen within a certain time frame.”

“Additionally, calls and emails were sent from our city administrator to other partners to discuss possible options for our wastewater treatment system. Unfortunately, those calls and emails were not returned.”

“I say this to let you know we have made a significant effort to have as many discussions as possible. But, please understand that the City of Ronceverte is under no obligation to seek approval from anyone other than the Public Service Commission as it relates to the sale of our water and wastewater treatment systems.”

“The offer from West Virginia American Water is a good offer. It is true there will be a rate increase. Unfortunately, given the current state of our water system, ongoing water losses, and continuous maintenance and operational costs for our wastewater treatment facility, rate increases will be necessary no matter what route we take moving forward.”

“There are benefits for our customers in town if we accept this offer. We will receive several million dollars in upgrades to both our water and wastewater systems over the next five years. West Virginia American Water will have the resources and funding to handle any big issues that might arise in the future.” 

“The city will also receive funds from West Virginia American Water that we can use to pay off our debts related to those systems. The offer from West Virginia American Water includes a guarantee that we will receive no less than $6 million dollars after we have paid off our debts. These funds can be used to make improvements to Ronceverte and our infrastructure.” 

“Once the sale has been approved, we will start working and determine what the city’s most important needs are, and we will come up with a plan for the use of those funds. We will look to our citizens to help us decide what projects are most important, such as sidewalks, finishing the roads, improvements downtown, upgrades to the park, and upgrades to the armory.”

“Many people have also said, ‘Why don’t we get our own water plant?’ We have looked into that and asked about the possibility of that happening. Unfortunately, we have been told that it is very unlikely that we would be able to get our own water treatment plant.” 

“Even if we were to get our own plant, the rate increase it would cost our customers would be much higher than we are looking at now. The reason being Ronceverte has roughly 1,000 customers. The cost of a plant would have to be distributed over only 1,000 customers, meaning a significant rate increase. The future upgrades from West Virginia American Water will be distributed over all customers and not only Ronceverte customers.”

“I know that this is a big change. Many of you are worried about the increase in rates that will affect us all. West Virginia American Water does provide a couple of discount opportunities for people over 60 who receive Medicare and families making under a certain salary threshold.”

“If the ordinance is approved by the Public Service Commission, the City of Ronceverte will offer open house nights where we will help our citizens complete any necessary paperwork to try to get those discounts.”

Our systems are not in crisis right now. We could continue. Our audit told us we would have to increase rates to meet that need, but we could continue operating as normal.”

“But we are trying to do something different than what has been done in the past in Ronceverte and think about what is best for our citizens long-term. After going through two years of considering what our possible options are, we think that this is the best plan moving forward for our citizens.” 

The floor was then opened to questions from the public.

Has the water company’s written proposal for the purchase of the water systems been made available to the public prior to tonight’s hearing? 

Mayor Pack responded that the ordinance has been available, published in the media, as well as through several posts made on the city Facebook page. She said the agreement will become available once signed, as it is not considered an official document until signed. 

Was the City of Lewisburg or Greenbrier County PSD No. 1 given notice of the consideration of the ordinance?

“We have had discussions with both of those organizations,” Pack responded. 

What rate impact will the water company’s purchase of the sewer system have on the customers? Is there any guarantee how long the rates will stay up?

Pack responded, “West Virginia American Water will assume Ronceverte’s position in regard to our current obligations with the City of Lewisburg and the Public Service District. There is no guarantee whether the agreement is signed or not. Anything will have to be approved by the Public Service Commission moving forward.”

Leah Smith added, “We certainly did explore other avenues. We’ve had no offers that rose to this level of finality or concreteness. Right now, Ronceverte is in a position where our sewer plant is relatively new and has value. There are municipalities similar to Ronceverte with aging infrastructure that aren’t getting offers like this because they do not have that attractive piece.”

“If we sit around and wait and hope that we can limp along for the next few years, we’re not going to be in a position where we will be getting these offers. We wouldn’t have gotten this far if we didn’t think this was something to entertain and that it is in Ronceverte’s best interest. We have to consider where we are going to be in 15 years, in Ronceverte, if we just keep passing the buck.”

West Virginia American Water distributes its costs among its customers, if they buy more systems outside of Ronceverte won’t this increase our rates?

“If West Virginia American Water wants to do that, they have to go to the Public Service Commission and ask for a rate increase, which will have to be approved every time. If we sell, the city won’t be involved in that decision-making process. But if they were to decide later on to raise rates across the board on all customers, they have to go to the Public Service Commission for approval,” Pack responded.

Do you release all autonomy of Ronceverte with this sale?

Pack responded, “No, it is just the water and the wastewater system. We would still control everything else.”

Does the city have any say in what American Water does after the sale?

According to Pack, “They would have to request Public Service Commission approval, and then, if the City of Ronceverte wanted to be an intervenor, we could.”

If things got bad with water rates, do I have the option to put in my own well?

“As of right now, you cannot, but ordinances can be changed. We haven’t gotten to that point, but if it got to be such a bad situation and there was no other recourse, I don’t know why that wouldn’t be something we couldn’t at least consider,” Pack responded.

Do all American Water customers have the same base rate and it increases as they invest?

“Yes, because we are regulated by the Public Service Commission, we have one tariff. So it is one price for all customers, including commercial and industrial. There is a minimum usage fee, and then, on top of that, as you continue to use more, you are charged more. Ronceverte residents shouldn’t see more of an increase based on their average usage of around 2,300 gallons. You’re looking at a $7 to $10 increase on your bill on the water usage side,” A West Virginia American Water representative in attendance responded. 

If you’d like to review questions and information from the first public meeting, click here.