Published: January 28, 2008 08:00 pm      

Water woes continue to plague small McDowell community

ELKHORN — Residents who have been dealing with water pressure woes in one small McDowell County community for the past 29 days are calling the situation “desperate.”

At the Elkhorn Inn and Theater, officials have had to give refunds to inn guests, and turn away other visitors, due to the water pressure problems, Elisse Clark, owner of the facility along with her husband Dan, said.

“It’s now 29 days without water pressure,” Elisse Clark said. “We desperately need water. We desperately need running water. We are the only tourist entity in this area. People come from far away to stay here, and we have to turn them away.”

Mavis Brewster, manager of the McDowell County Public Service District, said crews checked the water lines near the Elkhorn Inn and Theater Monday, and determined there was 65 pounds of pressure. Brewster said the problem appeared to be a leak on the service line at the theater.

“Anything beyond the meter or the dwelling, it is the customer’s responsibility,” Brewster said. “We have 65 pounds of pressure.”

Clark said the inn has repeatedly attempted to contact the PSD about the water pressure problem.

“We have been boiling giant pots of water in order to clean or bathe and so on,” Clark said. “In the beginning, there was a problem with no water. Now it is just trickling. This is just a nightmare.”

Brewster said the PSD has been working to correct breaks in the aging lines since it was ordered last summer by the state Public Service Commission to assume control of the system.

“We are still struggling with the Kimball and Elkhorn systems since we assumed the operations in July,” Brewster said. “We have selected an engineer to replace those systems. He actually came down Friday to look at the plant and the lines.”

Brewster said a replacement of the aging lines — some of which date back to the 1930s and 1940s — is a priority for the PSD.

“We are trying to get moving with that to replace those systems,” Brewster said. “Because it is one struggle right after another. The engineer will pursue funding, and apply for the funding, and get the project running. Definitely, this is going to be a top priority. But we can’t do anything until we get the funding through.”

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com