Water Listening Tour Gives ‘Everyday People’ A Chance To Discuss Woes

Southern West Virginia residents concerned about water quality in their homes and communities have a chance to tell Gov. Patrick Morrisey all about those issues.  

Morrisey launched a two-day Water Listening Tour on Tuesday. He is visiting four southern coalfield counties – Wayne, Mingo, Wyoming and McDowell – to hear firsthand about aging infrastructure and operational challenges that impact the quality of water there.  

“Across southern West Virginia, there are communities that are relying on water lines that were literally installed generations ago,” Morrisey said. “I want to make sure we’re giving families confidence that when you turn on the tap that you’re going to have the infrastructure you need to help your families and to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.” 

Morrisey said he wants to hear and see for himself exactly what residents are facing.  

“I want to hear from local residents, from mayors, from county officials, and quite frankly, the men and women who operate our water and sewer systems every day. I want to hear from everyday people.”  

Morrisey said the purpose of the tour is to pinpoint priorities in addressing water quality issues in southern West Virginia, as well as to identify funding resources and partnerships to fix those problems. 

“We will be in the very near future making some announcements about specific dollar commitments,” Morrisey said. “We’ll be coming back not only with the specific plan, but specific dollars that we anticipate that will be spent.”  

Morrisey said when the tour wraps up on Wednesday, he will hold a press conference to address what he learned and expects to make “some announcements” about funding within a few weeks.  

Problems with the quality of drinking water in multiple West Virginia counties can be traced back for decades and have been well-documented. In some communities the tap water is discolored, has visible particles floating in it, and residents are advised to use only bottled water for drinking, cooking and bathing.