Meadow Bridge boil water notice lifted after 7 months

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

MEADOW BRIDGE, W.Va., — The boil water advisory impacting customers of the Meadow Bridge water system has been lifted, according to WV Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Charlotte Lane.

The advisory had been in effect for more than seven months, since late 2025, and called on residents to boil water before cooking with it or drinking it. Residents and town officials alike called the situation “a nightmare.”

“We are paying our utility bills for a basic human right that is not being managed or maintained properly,” resident Kayla Yates, a mother of two who lives in Meadow Bridge with her husband, said.

RealWV published a story on June 24 about the water situation following interviews with local residents, town officials, and state officials. That same day, the Meadow Bridge Water & Sewer Department posted a notice on their Facebook page, stating, “The boil water advisory had been lifted since June 13th. It was suppose(d) to (have) been put on the call call system, but apparently it had gotten overlooked, as I was out of state for a few days.”

The post linked a report from a water testing company showing the water had been tested as safe to drink. RealWV repeatedly reached out to the testing company about their water quality reports for the town. No calls were ever returned.

“That is not a system that we regulate,” PSC Chairman Lane said, as it’s a local, municipal water system. “However, we do help when they have problems.”

Lane’s staff visited the Meadow Bridge Water & Sewer Department in June and issued a report which she shared with RealWV. It stated:

• The boil water notice has been lifted for the system
• The mobile water plant provided by WV Rural Water Association has been scheduled for removal, as the situation has improved to the point where it is no longer needed.
• The Town’s raw water source has a new well pump and is providing a yield that is lower than the previous rate (approximately 48-52 gallons per minute versus the previous rate of 65 to 75 gpm).  The Town is running the pump 14-16 hours per day.
• The Town still has a water loss rate of approximately 25%, so ongoing work will be required by the Town to locate and repair remaining leaks.

“Despite the recent progress made,” the report said, “the Town must continue its ongoing efforts in leak identification and repair.”

Specific steps suggested by the PSC staff include: establish and maintain an effective water loss management program with emphasis on leak identification and repair; consider the addition of a second well source to the system if practical; and consider establishing an emergency tie-in to the nearby Danese Public Service District system.

Sheena Brown, who works for the Meadow Bridge Water & Sewer Department, told RealWV in June, “We are looking at drilling a new well that would include a new plant. We have a location. We are looking at getting emergency funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”

“The money just isn’t here,” Brown said. “Us small towns are just hanging onto what we got.”

Yates wonders if the town has the capability to run the system. “The major question I have is whether the facility or the employees are even equipped, knowledgeable, or responsible enough to operate like this?”