BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

MARTIN COUNTY — The February flood that swept through Martin County, swelling Tug Fork River, left the county’s water and sewer infrastructure heavily damaged. Officials expect repair costs to approach $3 million.

Floodwaters inundated the sewer treatment plant in Warfield as well as lift stations, grinder pumps and other critical infrastructure throughout the county. A large water district lift station along Riverfront Road south of Lovely was buried under the river’s force.

The Tug’s relentless surge also eroded embankments from the Pike County line to the Lawrence County line, tearing out water and sewer lines along its path. At the county’s raw water intake, floodwaters washed away the bank and a newly completed pump platform, leaving officials with no place to reposition the pump. In Lovely, broken sewer and water lines remained inaccessible on Maple Street, their surroundings washed away.

Tim Thoma, chairman of the Martin County Utility Board, said significant damage was mainly along the Tug River. However, he added that pumps and lift stations throughout the county also received damage.

The utility board has filed insurance claims and is seeking state and federal disaster relief, according to Thoma.

“I am praying insurance and government dollars happen sooner than later,” he said. “You know these things take time to come to fruition and follow government requirements to engineer, solicit and replace those sanitation lift and water booster stations.”

About 175 customers lost water service during the flood, with 25 remaining without water for nearly a week. The remaining 150 saw service restored within 36 hours.

“God blessed us by enabling us to maintain services to most of the ratepayers during this period,” commented Thoma.

Alliance Water Resources, the company managing Martin County’s water and sewer systems, was able to relocate some mobile equipment—such as the raw water intake pump—to higher ground before the flood hit.

Since the waters receded, Alliance has replaced approximately 80 sewer grinder pumps and deployed temporary pumping systems, generators and replacement motors to sustain water and sanitation services.

Many of the damaged pumping stations will require complete reconstruction, Alliance manager Todd Adams told the utility board at a recent meeting.

Preliminary estimates place damage to the water district at approximately $800,000. The sewer district’s losses are significantly higher at around $2 million.