Waterline break near Captina slip delays repairs

Jun 5, 2023

Photo ProvidedWorkers look over the aftermath of a Belmont County waterline break near a slip repair near Little Captina Road. There has been some disagreement about whether a county waterline project exacerbated the slip.

POWHATAN POINT — A slip repair project on Little Captina Road was interrupted by a Belmont County waterline break Wednesday night and raised questions of responsibility from the York Township trustees.

York Township Trustee Ron Graham has spoken at prior commission meetings. The commissioners had assisted in obtaining Ohio Public Works Commission grant funding with a local match of 10 percent. Graham had asked the commissioners to assist the township in paying its local match, since he believes a county project exacerbated a road slip on York Township Road 132, or Little Captina Road. The commissioners believe otherwise, saying there had been prior issues of the earth moving in that area.

"We put a wall in that at the expense of the township, and they was going to pave it (Thursday) and the Belmont County waterline broke again and slid the hillside below the slip out," he said. "We did the slip repair like I said. Paid for at the township. Belmont County commissioners would not pay a penny for it, and then they come down to pave the slip area where they put the retaining wall in and they had a waterline break behind the new wall and blew the hillside out below the new wall."

He said the township spent $200 on a new wall and the total local match comes to 10 percent of $205,000, or $20,500.

"We had a company come in and they put a retaining wall in then the line blew out (Wednesday) night and the water was running under the new wall," he said. "It did not compromise the new wall, but it ran all the night and blew the hillside out. … The commissioners aren't concerned with the townships in … Belmont County."

Graham said there are two homes along the road and that it is a well-traveled route with frequent traffic, including oil and gas vehicles, making use of it.

"It could delay the end of the project for a week or two yet. We’ve already had to close, we’ve already had the roads closed … since May 18 and they was just finishing. Today was the last day to put guardrail in, then the waterline come apart again."

Resident Sarah Ruschak also reached out.

"I just want to iterate the nuisance it's been for the residents," she said. "The county wanted to just write us off. … I feel that I don't mean anything. … I’m a very disgruntled Belmont County customer that lives on Little Captina Road. Powhatan that has dealt with water breaks since November of 2022."

Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton was contacted.

"They’re doing the repair work there. A waterline came loose. It's been repaired. Belmont County Sanitary Sewer District is working hand-in-hand with the contractor on the job, which is Ohio-West Virginia Excavating. The issue has been resolved, and there's no major damage according to the contractor," he said.

Dutton said the county has been cooperative and attentive to the township.

"They’re paying their full local share. They got money from the state of Ohio to the tune of like 80 percent," he said. "It's their road. They would pay the local share. We declined to pay additional dollars. We did pay for the study that helped them secure the grant, and we’re down there making additional repairs now."

He said there has been a temporary county waterline in the area since the line broke last fall. The county is now replacing it.

Belmont County Water and Sanitary Sewer Director Kelly Porter said he believes the damage from the break is largely "cosmetic."

"There's a slip on Little Captina Road. Our waterline is in there, and Ohio-West Virginia, the contractor they had down there, is putting a retaining wall in. Our waterline's right in there and we had to replace some of it," he said.

"We had a break," he said. "We had it fixed. We were up there (Thursday) and fixed it. It wasn't a really great delay — maybe a day or two. We’re working with the contractor. It's not a huge deal."

He said it is a 2-inch waterline.

"Our waterline's behind that wall, so the water ran down and under the wall," he said, noting that the waterline should not have been installed in a slip area more than 10 years ago during a waterline extension. "That's a bad area. … There's not a whole lot we can do at this point in time. We’re just repairing it as we need to. I think the wall will help, putting the wall in there to stabilize that slip. Hopefully we don't have any further issues."

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