KEYSER, W.Va. — The city of Keyser faces a chronic problem at its wastewater treatment plant, in the form of stuff that shouldn’t be flushed.

That’s according to plant Supervisor Mike Kesecker, who reported the facility’s ongoing struggle with solid materials improperly disposed of in wastewater to the city council in its Wednesday night meeting.

The current problem mainly involves industrial paper towels that can jam the pumps and burn up their motors, Kesecker explained. That’s happened several times over the past few years, and each burned up motor costs around $15,000 to fix.

“We’ve got five of those motors, and if two of them go down, you’re looking at $30,000 for repairs,” he told the council.

The situation improved somewhat in recent months after city officials spoke directly with some businesses about their waste and wastewater disposal methods, but plant operators still see the paper towels “not every day, but often,” according to Kesecker.

The city system includes a device called a mechanical bar screen that is designed to remove solids from the wastewater before they can get into the equipment, but it’s not foolproof, he said.

Council members are now considering another effort to get the word out to city residents and businesses about things that should not go down the drain.

In other business, a joint city-county government meeting will probably be held in upcoming months to discuss several issues of countywide importance, according to a memo from Mineral County Commission President Wayne Spiggle that was shared by Keyser Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes.

One proposed topic is an update by The Greater Cumberland Committee on the progress of the North-South Corridor Coalition, an organization created to promote roadway development of U.S. Routes 220 and 219.

The meeting will probably also include discussion of the Mineral County broadband initiative known as MineralVision, as well as a report on the First Impressions Project now being conducted by the Frostburg State University Business Club, which examines the community from a first-time visitor’s perspective.

The official date of the city-county meeting has not yet been set, though it will probably take place in late February or early March.

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