A Utility's Response to COVID-19 

By: Bob Christian, Executive Director
West View Water Authority

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Although this time brings much uncertainty, we want to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our mission, providing our regional customers we proudly serve with safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water. Consistent with our values, our focus has been two-fold: to provide the same level of service for water and sewage that you have depended on while prioritizing the health and safety of both our customers and employees. 

Our employees have implemented social distancing practices both in the field and in the office. We have closed our in-person bill payment and highly encourage customers to mail in or make payments online. We have also reduced social interaction by temporarily restricting all non-emergency service calls as well as water shut-offs.  We understand that with so many uncertainties surrounding this crisis, access to clean water should not be among them. At the start of this pandemic, we reduced to a skeleton crew to reduce employee contact.  As of May 11, we are back to operating with a full crew while practicing social distancing.  

As a leader in the water utility industry, we have been reaching out to legislative leaders and the governor’s office to lend subject matter expertise and to inform others of the safe practices we are employing during this pandemic. 

As Pennsylvania moves toward reopening, we look forward to ramping up our operations in the next few weeks by once again providing non-essential services. We hope to continue to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to  our region as well as our adaptability in these turbulent, ever-changing times.