MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With a unanimous vote Morgantown city council has approved the licensing agreement with MUB to allow them to use a portion of White park for the raw water pipeline. The pipeline will take a modified version of Route 3 that includes a section through private property right-of-way secured by MUB.
Work was stopped in May when area residents expressed concern about the line going through a wooded section of the park.
Morgantown Council woman Jenny Selin is also the council representative on the BOPARC board and says shes glad MUB, local groups, and residents were able to express their opinions and ideas.
“MUB, once they saw there was a problem in White Park with going through the oldest part of the forest, came up with some solutions over a series of meetings that were very well run and very well attended,” Selin said.
Now that the route is official, MUB officials can begin to provide more exact scheduling information to their contractors and begin work to beat nesting season. One provision in the licensing agreement requires much of the work to be complete in the winter months as to not disturb nesting birds.
Route 5 up Mississippi Street could have led to increased project cost, inconvenience to residents, the possibility of a pumping station and even rate increases for local public service districts, municipalities and direct customers are no longer a concern.
“Glad that we came up with a solution that’s gravity fed and not going through the streets which might require a pumping station at some point,” Selin said,”Both, environmentalists and people who watch their pocket book would not like.
MUB officials say work could resume on the pipeline in January.