This week, before emancipation, Appalachia provided pathways to freedom for enslaved people trying to escape bondage. A new project identifies more than two dozen previously unknown underground railroad sites. Also, the Fly Around Music & Arts Festival in North Carolina was inspired by the hard work that followed Hurricane Helene. And, a ballad about floods recorded a generation ago still provides solace for people today.
While hundreds of thousands of West Virginians are going on five days without water, a school in Wyoming County has not had usable water since September.
The flushing process is underway but without an upgraded system, Herndon Consolidated and those on the Alpoca Water Works lines will have to wait even longer for usable tap water.
“It’s awful because I mean the water is brown and no one wants to wash their hands in brown water,” fifth grader Martina Sizemore said.
Rather than the water system owner, a PSD is working to fix the problem. It’s complicated and involves two public service districts, a small company, and a NASCAR driver.
Alpoca Water Works is a small company that supplies the water to the school and other communities such as Alpoca, and Bud. In a message, owner Rhesa Shrewsbury admitted that the water is bad but said that it’s only been bad for a couple months. Shrewsbury says it’s because the company no longer employs, or “lost” the water operator.
William Baisden with the Logan County PSD says his district is working “in good faith” to fix the water the old and dated system. Logan has assisted Wyoming County with water problems since a devastating flood in 2001 nearly destroyed the region.
Credit Jessica Lilly
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Gallons of water are regularly stored in the kitchen area.
Logan PSD is acting on behalf of the Eastern Wyoming PSD.
Shrewsbury says her family is in the process of selling the company. But Baisden says it’s not a simple sell and the parties are trying to work out “ownership issues”. He says Alpoca Water Works leased the land from coal companies until the property was purchased by Nascar driver Greg Biffle.
Biffle didn’t immediately return our request for comment.
In the meantime, teachers have tried to create a non-disruptive learning environment by always having bottled water and hand sanitizer in the classroom.
Principal Virginia Lusk is hoping the issue is resolved soon.
“The staff here works so hard and everybody has just made it go as smooth as they can to make this work and to keep the kids safety and the sanitary conditions for the kids,” she said.
Okey Mills has taught at the school for more than 15 years.
Credit Jessica Lilly
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A water dispenser replaces the water fountain in the hall at Herndon Consolidated.
“I’m surprised that many of their parents and people in the community haven’t complained more,” he said.
The flushing process is underway but Logan PSD says it could still take weeks to completely flush the system. There are no hydrants in the district which can be used to drain systems.
So for now, and since September, each faucet is running and toilets are flushed often in an effort to reach usable water.
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On this West Virginia Week, the board of education is in charge of rulemaking for schools according to a ruling from the Court of Appeals of West Virginia, Sen. Jim Justice is admonished and a rule to weaken silica limits in mines is proposed.
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration proposed a rule amending existing provisions for the sampling of silica dust in MNM mines and coal mines.
As many as 400 children in West Virginia's foster care system have been placed out of state for treatment not available in state. The state plans to renovate facilities to bring those children back.
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