By Ashley Perham, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Mountaineer Gas Co. has filed a lawsuit against West Virginia American Water, weeks after the gas company said a ruptured main caused water to infiltrate natural gas lines on Charleston’s West Side.
A resulting gas outage lasted for two weeks in November.
In the complaint, Mountaineer Gas said water “erupted and spewed at enormous pressure” from a ruptured water main on Nov. 10. The water company said repairs were finalized early in the morning of Nov. 11, approximately 11 hours after the rupture was discovered.
Details of the complaint
The complaint said Mountaineer Gas’ best efforts to resolve the situation were “more than reasonable,” and that it restored services “as soon as possible under the circumstances.”
The gas company asserts in its lawsuit that West Virginia American trespassed on its property and committed negligence with failure to:
- Prevent the pipe from rupturing.
- Discover the leak.
- Repair it in a reasonable time.
- Notify the gas company “in a reasonable and timely manner.”
Last week, the company announced that it will give affected customers a $75 credit on their bills.
