This doesn’t sound like much of a headline, until you realize the issues behind it. Craig Gherke worked his final day as Chief Operator for the Grantsville Municipal Water System on Sunday, May 19th, 2024. For three years Craig served as an operator at the Water Plant, having trained under David Johnson who worked 30 years for the Grantsville Water System and retired, leaving Craig to the Chief’s position in October of 2023. Craig was more than aware of the strain that the system put both physically and mentally on staff. When David retired in October of 2023, Craig became the next seven day a week victim of the system. It’s not only the hours, but the responsibility and accountability of the county’s only source of water. Safety measurements and testing by the State of West Virginia are extreme, as they should be. But what shouldn’t be, is the absolute failure of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (Environmental Division) who offer no support or encouragement for Operators, and the State of West Virginia who has failed to recognize and address the crisis level of water and sewer systems. Calhoun County is not the only county facing issues. Multiple counties across the State have operators on the verge of retiring without an operator waiting to take over. An operator in training from start to finish is a two year program and an almost guaranteed job waiting on them, but most plants fail to have a operator in training because of the fiscal toll it takes and their failure to realize the dire straight they’re going to be in if they lose their current operator.