Associated Press Published

Utility Union Worried About Water Company's Leaky Pipes

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The head of the Utility Workers Union of America is raising concerns that West Virginia American Water Co.’s leaky pipes may have allowed contaminated water from the Elk River chemical spill to seep into the ground.
 
     D. Michael Langford wrote to the state Public Service Commission on Thursday to point out West Virginia American’s high rate of “unaccounted for water.”
 
     According to West Virginia American’s most recent annual report on file with regulators, it could not account for more than 28 percent of the water it pumped in 2012.
 
   That number is far above the 15 percent that’s considered acceptable.
 
     The company says it isn’t testing groundwater following the Jan. 9 spill but that the water doesn’t pose a risk to the public, animals or vegetation.