The Putnam Public Service District is nestled against the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia’s Putnam County. The hilly terrain is scenic, but it presents some significant challenges for the local collections system.

The PPSD provides sewer and water for the area. When established in 1959, the utility inherited a combined system, one of 712 remaining in the United States. Additional small combined systems were assimilated in the 1970s and ’80s. PPSD...