BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
KERMIT, W.Va. — The Tug River, strained by ongoing drought conditions, has receded to levels that have forced the Town of Kermit to resort to emergency measures to pump water to the treatment plant.
In a town meeting Sept. 9, Mayor Charles Sparks outlined plans to employ a loaner pump to tap into a deeper section of the stream.
“We’re in bad shape,” Sparks said, describing the river’s current state. “We’re not to the point where anyone will lose water. We’re still pumping, but we are creating a whirlpool in the river now, which is a bad sign. It’s starting to suck air and sediment and half the pump is out of the water.”
The town plans to utilize a 4-inch diesel pump provided by Veolia Water to draw from deeper waters and bypass the intake pump.
“We’re going to extend about 50 feet into the middle of the river to pull more water into the pump house,” Sparks explained. “That will keep us going until we get some rain.”
Another potential solution, sandbagging, is also on the table. Sparks noted that the town had successfully sandbagged in the past, creating a half-moon-shaped dam deep enough to submerge the intake line. However, he acknowledged the drawbacks.
“It catches leaves and trash,” he said, adding that the loaner pump offers a simpler fix.
Despite mounting concerns on social media, which prompted some residents to stockpile bottled water, Sparks assured the community there was no immediate threat to the water supply.
“No one needs to panic,” he said. “We’re doing fine.”
In other town business, the council completed the final reading of an ordinance related to a major water improvement project. The initiative includes the full rehabilitation of Kermit’s water treatment plant and the replacement of a water line along U.S. 52 to East Kermit. According to Mayor Sparks, the work is slated to begin Oct. 16 and will likely take about a year to complete.
Additionally, the council adopted the Region 2 Planning & Development Council’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
In a tribute to the late Peggy Moore, a longtime councilwoman who passed away June 25, the town agreed to purchase a memorial bench at the request of former councilwoman Anna Mae Sartin Wellman.