Notice:

Morgantown Utility Board Meeting CANCELLED for July 14, 2009.

Morgantown Utility Board Meeting June 9, 2009.

NEWS:

Locations where MUB will be working the week of 06/29/09 to 07/03/09:

EVENTS:

“Only Tap Water Delivers” Poster Contest Winners - May 9, 2009

The winners of the Morgantown Utility Board’s “Only Tap Water Delivers” themed poster contest are (from left):
Molly Simpson, Ethen Carrico, Levi Carrico and Amber Hines (not pictured: Cannon Brummage). The recipients were awarded BOPARC pool passes for their creative posters celebrating Drinking Water Week, May 3-9.

Molly Simpson (Age 7)		Levi Carrico (Age 7)
Amber Hines (Age 9)		Ethen Carrico (Age 12)

Cannon Brummage (Age 10)

Easton Elementary - May 11, 2009

Morgantown Utility Board's Stormwater Engineer, Scott Copen, visited Ms. Siegel's kidergarten class at Easton Elementary to talk about stormwater and the importance of protecting our local watersheds. The pollution in stormwater affects everyone's quaility of life in our community.

Impact E.A.R.T.H. - April 18, 2009

Morgantown Utility Board participated in the 2nd annual Impact E.A.R.T.H. The event took place at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheatre on the Waterfront on a beautiful spring day. Impact E.A.R.T.H. was designed to create awareness in Mon County of the wide variety of environmental issues and to inform residents of what they can do locally to help improve the quality of our earth.

WVUH Kids Fair - April 4, 2009

The WVU Children's Hospital held their 11th annual Kids Fair at the Morgantown Mall on Saturday, April 4. Members of the Morgantown Utility Board staff distributed educational information about stormwater and protecting our local watersheds.

Deckers Creek Adventure Day - October 26, 2008

The Morgantown Utility Board participated in the "2008 Deckers Creek Adventure Day" this past October to educate kids and their parents about protecting our local watersheds, such as  Deckers Creek.

Storm Drain Marking Project - September 11, 2008

The South Hills Neighborhood Association and the Youth Advisory Board of the Friends of Deckers Creek assisted MUB in placing medallions that warn, "NO DUMPING DRAINS TO STREAMS" in the South Hills area on September 11, 2008.   Rainwater runoff easily picks up materials such as oil, trash and grass clippings from roads and yards, and carries them into our drains. The markers are there to remind the public to protect our local streams and rivers.

2007 Bicycle Poker Run - September 23, 2007

On September 23, the Mon River Trails Conservancy held a "Bicycle Poker Run."  Around 50 individuals participated in the event on a beautiful fall day in Morgantown.  Members of the Morgantown Utility Board staff handed ice cold MUB water to participants at one of the check points.

Burroughs Run & Poponoe Run Groundbreaking Ceremony         

The Morgantown Utility Board celebrated the start of their construction for the Burroughs Run and Poponoe Run Stormwater Project on September 27, 2007. State Senator Michael Oliverio, Mayor Ron Justice and several other guests were present at the ceremony to commemorate the beginning of the project.

State Senator Michael Oliverio of District 13, presented Morgantown Utility Board Chairman C. Barton Loar and General Manager Jim Green a check for $8.5 million. The loan came from The Department of Environmental Protection State Revolving Fund Loan Program for the stormwater project.		General Manager Jim Green addressed the crowd of engineers, City officials, and business owners at the Erickson Alumni Center for the Groundbreaking Ceremony.

Morgantown Mayor Ron Justice spoke about the amount of cooperation between everyone involved in the project.  "We didn't all agree on everything, but we all agreed that this needed to be fixed," Justice said.

The crowd listens to State Senator Michael Oliverio talk about the need for the stormwater project in the Burroughs Run & Poponoe Run areas.		City Councilman James Manilla (left), MUB General Manager Jim Green, and MUB Engineer Doug Smith converse before the Groundbreaking Ceremony.

March 4, 2009
By: Tracy Eddy - The Dominion Post

City Council nominates Scafella for MUB seat
Former mayor says he can help maintain board's 'great reputation'

Former Morgantown Mayor Frank Scafella was nominated to fill an empty seat on the Morgantown Utility Board.

The Morgantown City Council nominated Scafella to the board during its Tuesday night meeting.

He will replace former board member and chairman Barton Loar, who resigned from his position in January, when he moved outside city limits. Morgantown city code requires that anyone serving on city boards, commissions or authorities live within city limits.

Scafella said he wanted to serve on the utiltiy board because he was interested in all of MUB's extra responsibilities, such as monitoring stormwater run-off.

"MUB has a very good reputation as a business-oriented service utility in Morgantown," he said. "It has a great reputation. It is important to maintain that. I think I can help do that. I think I can help MUB wrok all that out."

Scafella retired from City Council in 2007, after 16 years reprensenting the city's 3rd Ward, including four years as mayor.

Deputy Clerk Bethany Quinn said Scafella was the only person ti volunteer to serve on the board, and the vacancy had been advertised for about three weeks.

December 18, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- The Dominion Post

Prevent frozen water pipes during frigid temperatures

Snow, ice and chilly temperatures can make your life harder during the winter months. The Morgantown Utility Board reminds customers that cold temperatures can freeze water pipes, or cause them to burst and flood your home.

To avoid problems during the winter months, MUB offers the following preventative tips:

• Insulate exposed hot water and cold water pipes in your home's crawl space and attic.
• Use Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) listed heat tape to wrap pipes. Follow all manufacturers' installation and operation instructions closely. Newspapers also work for providing some insulation and protection to exposed pipes.
• Look under kitchen and bathroom cabinets, your basement, attic, garage and walls for pipes. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warmer air can circulate around the pipes.
• If you suspect that oyu may have exposed pipes that can't be insulated, letting cold water trickle from the faucet during extremely cold weather, may prevent freezing. The temperature of the trickling water is above freezing, and allowing it to run keeps the temperature in your pipes above freezing.
• If you are going away for the winter, set your thermostat no lower than 55 degrees.
• If there are water pipes in the garage, try to keep your garage door closed.
• Unhook your water hose from your outside spigot during the winter. Also, close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. Keep the outside valve open so the water in the pipe will not freeze and cause the pipe to break.

If your pipes freeze, don't take any chances. Call MUB at 292-8443, so a serviceman can check the water meter and replace it if it is frozen.

If the water meter is not frozen MUB will advise you to contact a plumber to fix the frozen pipe before it bursts. There is no service charge for MUB to check your meter.

September 21, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- The Dominion Post

Groups help MUB place medallions

Volunteers from the South Hills Neighborhood Association and the Youth Advisory Board of the Friends of Deckers Creek helped the Morgantown Utiltiy Board place blue and gold medallions that warn "No dumping, drains to streams" around the neighborhood.

"We, the residents of South Hills, appreciate the time and attention MUB officials have given to our neighborhood," said South Hills Neighborhood Association Coordinator Frank McGreevy. "The recent campaign to draw attention to the storm drains with high visibility markers was a rousing success. We had a respectable turnout from the community and, with the help of the FODC's Youth Advisory Board, the drain identification effort was completed without a hitch. Thanks to the staff of the MUB for their time off the clock and their devotion to quality community relations."

Many residents don't know that most of what goes down our storm drains will end up in local streams, such as Deckers Creek and the Monongahela River, and not in Morgantown's wastewater treatment plant, according to Rachael Kelly, MUB special projects coordinator. Rainwater runoff easily picks up materials such as oil, trash and grass clippings from the roads and yards, and carries them into our drains. The markers are there to remind the public to protect our local streams and rivers from the kinds of pollutants that harm fish, destroy aquatic life and make our waters unsafe for drinking, swimming and fishing.

These markers are part of a larger community education campaign undertaken by the MUB to keep streams free of stormwater pollution. Here are a few steps anyone can take to help reduce the pollution entering storm drains:

• Do not dump materials such as used motor oil and antifreeze down drains. Recycle these materials.
• Keep grass clippings, dirt and leaves out of the street and gutters.
• Clean up after your pets
• Don't litter
• Use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly

Groups or individuals interested in participating in the storm drain marking program can contact Kelly at MUB,   292-8443.

September 14, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- The Dominion Post

Two area treatment plants win performance awards

The Morgantown Utiltiy Board's wastewater treatment plants at Star City and Cheat Lake have been selected to receive Platinum Performance Awards.

The Peak Performance Awards program, presented by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, recognizes public wastewater treatment facilities for their outstanding compliance records in the 2007 calendar year.

The Morgantown Utility Board received two awards, which pay special tribute to agency facilities that have received Gold Awards for five consecutive years. Gold Awards honor treatment works that have achieved 100 percent compliance with their National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit for an entire calendar year.

MUB's facility achieved the Platinum 7 Award for 100 percent compliance with the NPDES permit over the past seven years. the Morgantown sanitary sewer system serves about 14,000 customers. Sewer system facilities include 229 miles of pipelines, a 10 million gallon-per-day plant, 13 lift stations and 40 combined sewer outfalls.

MUB owns and operates a second, separate sanitary sewer system in the Cheat Lake area of Monongalia County. The Cheat Lake facility was recognized for its Platinum 6 Award, also due to 100 percent compliance with the NPDES permit. The Cheat Lake sanitary sewer system serves more than 1,500 customers. Sewer system facilities there include 42 miles of pipelines, a 750,000 gallon-per-day treatment plant and 15 lift staions.

"The MUB is an outstanding example of environemtal efforts," said Ken Kirk, NACWA's executive director. "NACWA is honored to showcase the achievements of the MUB and our nation's public wastewater utilities through the Peak Performance Awards Program."

Info on MUB's water quality efforts: 292-8443 or mub.org

October 23, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- The Dominion Post

Neighborhood group marks Suncrest storm drains

Volunteers from the Suncrest Neighborhood Association and Fieldcrest Hall helped the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) place more than 100 blue and gold medallions that warn “NO DUMPING, DRAINS TO STREAMS” around the neighborhood Saturday.
           
 “I was extremely happy to see WVU Students and members of the general public working together to bring awareness to the importance of not polluting Morgantown’s stormwater,” MUB staff engineer Scott Copen said. “We were able to mark over 100 drains in a short time and are hoping to expand this type of cooperative effort throughout Morgantown.”
           
Many residents don’t know that most of what goes down our storm drains will end up in local streams such as Deckers Creek, Burroughs Run and Poponoe Run, and not in Morgantown’s wastewater treatment plant. 

Rainwater runoff easily picks up materials such as oil, trash and grass clippings from roads and yards, and carries them into our drains.  The markers are there to remind the public to protect streams and rivers from the kinds of pollutants that harm fish, destroy aquatic life and make our waters unsafe for drinking, swimming and fishing. 

These markers are part of a larger community education campaign undertaken by MUB to keep streams free of stormwater pollution. Here are a few simple steps you can take to help reduce the pollution entering our storm drains:

• Do not dump materials such as used motor oil and antifreeze down drains, recycle these materials
• Keep grass clipping, dirt and leaves out of the street and gutters.
• Clean up after your pets.
• Don’t litter.
• Use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly.

 
Groups or individuals interested in participating in the storm drain marking program can call MUB, 292-8443.  

October 2, 2007
EDITORIAL - The Dominion Post

MUB project will hold water
Plan to control storm-water runoff in Suncrest will have ripple effect.

Many proposals may never hold water in the ingoing debate on local infrastructure improvements.

However, one that will got under way last week, at a reception to mark the groundbreaking of the Morgantown Utility Board’s Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run storm-water runoff project.

The more than $9 million endeavor will feature a series of measures to control the runoff from roads and other impervious surfaces during storms, which often cause flooding and water damage in the Suncrest are of Morgantown.

After decades of seemingly swimming against the stream, a host of local and state agencies got a feel for how strong of a coordinated effort was needed to bring this plan together.

Although the planning and engineering stages are by and large complete, the actual construction has just begun.

The plan includes enlarging and adding bridges, dredging area streams and building several detention ponds in this drainage basin to allow the flood of water to be released gradually as the runoff decreases.

At a time when other infrastructure improvements in our area are mired in controversy and debate, we are encouraged to see MUB’s Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run project go forward.

Not only will this project alleviate the impact of flooding in the Burroughs Run area, which is its primary mission, but it will also improve the overall quality of water in our area.

Often as a result of flooding, when one sanitary sewer system is overwhelmed, it flows into another and the excess can sometimes eventually drain directly into the local watershed.

Due to that, this project was able to secure the first low-interest loan from the state’s Clean Water Revolving Fund, which was created in 2001 to fund storm-water utility measures.

MUB’s efforts in the Suncrest area should also lead to curbing the impact of flooding on local roadways and bridges there, allowing for other road repairs.

And even though it’s not as perceptible, this MUB project will also serve as a model for how other areas of the state that are frequently victimized by flooding from storm-water runoff, can take corrective action.

Yet, this project will be quite tangible to the neighborhoods within the Morgantown area of where their storm-water service fees are going and how MUB is serving the community.

Above all though, for hundreds, if not thousands of homeowners, business owners and others, this project should spare them the costs of repairing damages from flooding for decades to come. And not to mention, some peace of mind whenever it storms.

In the course of most streams and rivers, they rarely seem to get in a big rush. They know they’ll get to where it is they’re going some day.

Apparently, MUB’s Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run storm-water runoff project will get there sooner.

September 28, 2007
By: Cassie Shaner - The Dominion Post

MUB launches Poponoe Runoff Project
$9M effort to relieve flooding

David Goodin said he has seen three 100-year floods in his lifetime.           

Goodin, senior pastor of Morgantown’s Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, spoke at a reception Thursday to celebrate the groundbreaking of Morgantown Utility Board’s Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run storm-water project.

Because of flooding and stormwater issues, he said, the church has had to build up exterior stairwells and install floodgates to keep water out of the building during rainstorms.

“All of this cost us tens of thousands of dollars, and yet we knew that our church would never have the resources to achieve a permanent fix to this problem,” Goodin told people gathered at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center. “We knew that we were only stalling the inevitable.”

A permanent fix came this week as contractor Laurita Excavating began mobilizing equipment on Van Voorhis Road. MUB General Manager Jim Green has said the project includes construction of a variety of control measures in the Suncrest area to reroute water runoff from roadsand slow the swelling of creeks.

The project also calls for enlarging and adding bridges, dredging creeks and building several detention ponds to hold runoff.

Including planning, engineering and construction, Green said, the project will cost more than $9 million. “I’m sure the Burroughs Run neighborhood will be delighted,” MUB chairman C. Barton Loar said of the results. “It’s not a moment too soon.”

Loar said the project took years to come together and involved diplomacy and cooperation from state and local agencies, including the city of Morgantown, the state Division of Highways, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Legislature.

“We didn’t all agree on everything, but we all agreed that this needed to be fixed,” Morgantown Mayor Ron Justice said.

Gov. Joe Manchin was expected to attend the reception, but inclement weather in Parkersburg prevented him from flying to Morgantown, Green said.

“He did want me to pass along that this is a great project not only for Morgantown, but the state of West Virginia,” Green said.

Green said the Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run project will not only fix storm-water problems and prevent flooding, but also improve water quality. Because of that, the DEP issued an $8.5 million storm-water loan for the project under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the first such infrastructure loan since the Legislature passed the storm-water utility statute in 2001.

Deputy State Highway Engineer James Sothen said the project also will benefit the DOH, as roads in the area will no longer need repairs due to flooding. He said fewer repairs will mean more money for other road projects.

Green said the Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run storm-water improvement will serve as a “keystone project” for MUB by helping residents understand what the utility agency can do for the community.

“We’re anxious to get the project done,” Green said. I think it’s going to be great.”

In April, Morgantown City Council approved a 31.5 percent increase in MUB’s flat fee for residential dwellings to help pay for the project—from $3.63 per month to $5.30 per month.

The utility also will increase charges based on the square footage of impervious areas, generally roofs and parking surfaces of commercial and industrial properties.

Monthly rates in this category were increased from $1.45 per 1,000 square feet to $2.12, an increase of 67 cents or 31.6 percent.

September 28, 2007
By: Jad Sleiman - The Daily Athenaeum

MUB celebrates new storm water project

Officials from the state and city government met at the Erikson Alumni Center yesterday to celebrate new storm water management systems.

The systems will be built to prevent flooding in some of the areas included in the Burroughs and Popenoe Run watersheds and increase Morgantown water quality by reducing the strain on sanitary sewers.

The storm water drainage project didn’t have universal support when the Morgantown Utility Board first started engineering studies for the project in 2003.

“There was great wailing and gnashing of teeth,” Chairman of the MUB C. Barton Loar said.

“Some of the Suncrest neighborhoods didn’t think they’d see the day,” Loar said, speaking of the project’s initiation. “It’s not a moment too soon.”

Pastor David Goodwin of the CMA Church remembers having much of his church destroyed by flooding. The 33 inches of water “ripped out cinder blocks” and “bent metal doors,” Goodwin said.

Now, it has largely been paid for through an $8.5 million state revolving fund loan, and the project also had the support of substantial state and city grants. The state Department of Transportation gave $300,000 and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection gave $250,000. With money available, the DEP simply had to “jump in and do something,” Mike Johnson of the DEP said.

The loan will be paid off through user fees based on storm drainage usage in yearly, $476,000 installments. State Senator Michael Oliverio said the traditional method of “going to Charleston to box for more money” wasn’t working and supports the user fee which the County Commission approved for the public to vote on in February.

“Are we going to be held back with a hand out waiting for help (from the state government), or find ways as local citizens to solve our problems?” Oliverio said. He also argued that measures such as the user fee were necessary because Morgantown has to compete nationally for University students. The city council also contributed to the program by granting the MUB $125,000 to cover business and occupation taxes.

Many people felt that the storm water drainage system would end up just being an “engineering project,” MUB General Manager James Green said. Despite the critics, MUB felt they needed “a keystone project,” Green said.

Green also felt the project was long overdue.

“We picked it up because of problems people were having 50 years ago,” Green said.

“You won’t find any harder working city workers in West Virginia,” Mayor Ron Justice said. “We have great leadership in the MUB.”

Justice agreed with MUB official who said the program would fix the three major problems of flooding, Wastewater treatment and low water quality.

“If they (the MUB) do work together they can do many things,” Justice said.

September 14, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DEP News -- Morgantown Gets State's First Stormwater Revolving Fund Loan

MORGANTOWN - The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has issued a stormwater loan under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the first such infrastructure loan since the legislature passed the stormwater utility statute in 2001.

As part of the Manchin administration's ongoing infrastructure development efforts, the $8.5 million loan was given to Morgantown for the Burroughs Run and Poponoe Run Stormwater Project in the Monongahela River watershed.

The loan carries a 2 percent interest rate and a 1 percent annual administrative fee and will be repaid over a 20-year period. The total project cost is more than $9 million.
The balance of the funding came from an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 319 grant, the West Virginia Department of Transportation grant and the city's local share.

Flooding, water quality degradation, and streambank erosion have been problems for many years in the watersheds around Morgantown, making this project one of the most critical priorities for the city and the Morgantown Utility Board.

The money will be used for stormwater improvement, restoration, and stabilization along Burroughs Run and Poponoe Run, including culvert replacement, and approximately two acres of wetland restoration.

The project will provide improvements to the stream channel to reduce flooding potential. By stabilizing the streambanks, erosion and resulting sedimentation will be reduced, improving water quality.

The contractor is Laurita Excavating, Inc. of Morgantown.
The project should be complete in March 2009.

The Morgantown Utility Board stormwater system serves 13,200 customers. The utility board also provides drinking water and sewer services to its residents as part of a combined utility operation.

September 14, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Wastewater Plants Receive High Honors

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Peak Performance Awards recognized the Wastewater Treatment Facilities of the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) on July 18, 2007 for their annual 100 percent compliance of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

The NACWA’s Executive Director, Ken Kirk, issued the 2006 Platinum 6 Award to MUB’s Star City Wastewater Treatment Facility. The MUB was one out of nine treatment facilities nationwide eligible to receive the Platinum 6 Award. Morgantown’s Cheat Lake Wastewater Treatment Facility received its first Platinum Award from NACWA.  

This recognition program consists of three categories: Platinum, Gold and Silver. Platinum is the highest award a wastewater treatment facility can achieve. Platinum Awards recognize the wastewater treatment facilities for maintaining 100 percent compliance with NPDES permits over a consecutive five year period. The Platinum Award status can be continued as long as a treatment plant maintains 100 percent permit observance.

The Utility Board’s Star City Wastewater Treatment Facility was recognized for their 100 percent compliance with the NPDES discharge permit over the last six consecutive years. The Cheat Lake Facility, recognized with their Platinum Award, has had 100 percent compliance since initial start-up in 1998, but was not eligible for these awards until 2002. The Gold Award recognizes treatment plants that have maintained a 100 percent observance of their NPDES permit for an entire calendar year. Silver Awards are awarded to plants that have received no more than five NPDES permit violations per calendar year. 

The Peak Performance Award is a very prestigious honor for municipal utilities. The employees of the Utility Board’s Star City Wastewater Treatment Facility and the Cheat Lake Facility work very hard 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to produce clean well treated water. This honor serves to emphasize the dedication and commitment the employee’s of MUB have toward protecting and maintaining the environment.  This award recognizes a job well done by devoted and skilled MUB employees.

January 23, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Water Tower Improves Service on Mileground

The Morgantown City Council, Monongalia County Commission, Monongalia County Development Authority, along with MUB, jointly invested $1.2 million into building the 155-foot water tower. Begun in December 2005 by Caldwell Tanks Inc., it was completed last month and will provide a much more reliable source of water, according to MUB General Manger Jim Green . The installation included 600 feet of 16-inch pipe at the airport and an additional 2,100 feet of 12-inch pipe between the airport and the Mileground.

The Mileground service area previously was supplied via a pump system that ran almost continuously in order to maintain pressure in the distribution system. This dependency on electric pumps created an unreliable situation at times. If the power went out, the area experienced an immediate impact: reduced pressure and possible water loss to customers .

Without a storage tank, the water had to be supplied from the booster pump directly to customers. With more water use, the water pressure decreased. Likewise, when few customers used water, then the pressure increased. “The pressure bounced a lot, and that was not desirable,” Green said.

The usual way MUB’s water systems work is to have a booster pump that pumps to a tank, then the tank serves the neighborhood. Water demands are greater at certain times of the day than at others, so the tank supplies the water during those times of increased usage and then refills during the time when use slows down.

For example, there’s a high demand for water between six a.m. and eight a.m. because people are up, getting showered and ready for school and work. After that, demand falls off to a minimum while most people are away from home. Then when they return in the evening, demand increases again from around six to nine p.m. When people go to sleep and water use decreases, the tank once again refills. Gravity flow from an elevated tank like this one increases the water pressure, so regardless of the demand from customers, the pressure remains steady.