Marshall County schools face water crisis as boil order continues

Three schools in Marshall County are at risk of starting the school year without access to drinking water due to an ongoing boil order issued by the city of McMechen.

The order, which was put in place on July 23, stems from the city’s lack of a qualified water operator as required by state law.

“We’ve worked with boil orders at a lot of our schools many times, and so our maintenance people are ready. Actually, they’ve already delivered water to those places,” said Dr. Shelby Haines, superintendent of Marshall County Schools.

“We have bottled water on site at all the schools for staff and students, we have gallons of water for the cooks to cook with.”

The affected schools are McMechen Elementary, Hilltop Elementary, and Sherrard Middle School.

“The city government is making every effort to find a qualified operator for the city’s water department to resolve this problem,” McMechen Mayor Joshua Phillips said in a statement.

He also expressed gratitude to city employees who have stepped up during the past two weeks.

The situation remains fluid, and updates on the boil order will continue to be provided as efforts to resolve the issue progress