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Gov. Patrick Morrisey is focusing on fundamentals to advance the state’s prospects. The governor announced more than $3.3 million in critical water infrastructure funding for Beech Bottom in Brooke County Thursday.
The investment will repair essential water storage tanks and complete a long-awaited water main and fire hydrant project along Route 2, stabilizing water service and boosting economic development in the Northern Panhandle.
The governor said water infrastructure is the kind of basic service needed to succeed in the modern economy.
“When people decide where they’re going to locate businesses or citizens, do you think they all call the State Economic Development Office? No,” Morrisey said. “What they do is they go online, right? And they research schools, they research the tax rate, they research the infrastructure, the healthcare, all those basics, the fundamentals.”
The $3.3 million funding package addresses two major infrastructure needs in Beech Bottom, north of Wheeling. First, the state is covering 100% of the $283,000 required to repair two side-by-side water storage tanks serving approximately 550 local residents and industrial sites through the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council’s (IJDC) Critical Needs Fund. Repairs to Tank 1’s leaking valve will begin immediately with no service interruptions. Tank 2, which has been out of service due to a floor crack that threatened the foundation of both tanks, will undergo full floor repairs taking four to six weeks once scheduled.
Additionally, the State is contributing $400,000 from the Governor’s Civil Contingent Fund to complete a $3 million package for the Route 2 Water Main and Fire Hydrant Loop project. This state contribution breaks a multi-year deadlock caused by rising construction costs on a 2020 federal award. Combined with funding from the Water Development Authority, IJDC loans, local debt taken on by the Beech Bottom Water Board, and the original federal grant, the complete package allows construction to begin immediately. The project closes a critical loop in the village water system, eliminating pressure drop-offs during heavy industrial use and placing fire hydrants along the entire length of the Beech Bottom Industrial Park.
The announcements in Brooke County are part of a broader statewide push following the recent finalization of over $58 million in water and wastewater project packages across West Virginia.