Elk River Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Former TV News Reporter Remembers Making History Covering Water Crisis

Former TV news reporter Kallie Cart talks about her water crisis coverage 10 years later, especially a live interview that went viral.

A chemical spill into the Elk River 10 years ago this week contaminated drinking water for more than a quarter million West Virginians. The water crisis sent people to the hospital, closed schools and businesses and became a national story of corporate distrust and community action. But the news reports began on the local level.

Kallie Cart is now the deputy chief of staff for the state auditor’s office. Ten years ago, she was a reporter and anchor for Channel 8 out of Charleston and one of the lead journalists covering the devastating event.

Cart spoke with Randy Yohe about her water crisis coverage, especially a live interview that went viral.

Yohe: Kallie, you were at WCHS-TV at the time of the water crisis. What were your duties? And how did you first learn there was a water problem?

Cart: At the time of the water crisis, I was a reporter and also an anchor. We were actually getting ready to launch a 5 p.m. newscast. We knew something serious was going on. WCHS is on Piedmont Road, near Freedom Industries, actually, and we could smell the licorice early on in the day. We didn’t know what it was, but we knew something had happened. Then we started to realize something very serious had happened. And then they called a press conference to issue the “do not use” order at about 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., something like that.

Yohe: What happened next?

Cart: That press conference was with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and the water company. They were explaining to folks what they knew had happened at that point, that there was some chemical that had gotten into the water supply. They didn’t shut off the valves leading into the river, and it had gotten into the water supply. And basically they had issued this widespread “do not use” order for folks in nine different counties. That covered hundreds of thousands of people, because they talked about it in households. There were a lot of people, right after dinner time, who were being told your water has been contaminated, do not use.

Yohe: The toxic chemical leak came from a Freedom Industries’ above ground storage tank. Talk about your live interview with Freedom Industries President Gary Southern.

Cart: That was the next day. And it was a press conference, I’m sure you’re familiar with, where everyone is invited to come. We hadn’t heard a word from Freedom Industries since they had poisoned the water. So everyone was obviously anxious to hear what they had to say and to learn more about what had happened, and to learn more about this chemical that we really didn’t know a lot about. So it was a really scary time for people.

This could have been, and it ended up being, our one and only chance to hear from Freedom Industries about what was going on. So I obviously had a lot of questions, as I always did for all stories. To me, it was just a normal press conference. He didn’t really give us much information. But as I said, I was armed with a lot of questions. And so as he tried to wrap things up, I just was like, “well, wait, we’re not done here,” and I think he’d said something to the effect of, “look, it’s been a long day, you know, I’m done with this, it’s time for me to go.” And I was like, “well, it’s been a long day for a lot of people who don’t have water. So I want to know, XYZ.” Then I peppered him with a lot of questions, and then I still had more questions as he was trying to walk away.

I think that’s what everyone talks about, because that was like, hey, get back here, we’re not done. To my surprise, he turned around and came back. I was just doing my job, but that was one of the first times that they started to live stream press conferences. That wasn’t happening a lot 10 years ago. So after it was done, my phone started blowing up and people were texting me and calling me and I’m like, what happened, I’m a little bit confused. So yeah, it just kind of took off from there.

Yohe: It has become a journalistic touchstone in a way, hasn’t it?

Cart: Yes, it really has. And that does make me proud. I mean, to this day, people will say, “oh, I loved your Freedom Industries press conference,” or “you’re the girl from that press conference.” And whenever other journalists say it, it does make me proud, because that’s what we’re supposed to advocate for the people that are in our community.

Yohe: Your pregnancy came into play in your coverage, did it not?

Kallie Cart being interviewed on CNN.

*Courtesy of Kallie Cart/CNN*

Cart: I was about seven and a half months pregnant during that interview, and during the water crisis. So I was in an interesting position, being not only a journalist working for Channel 8, but also I was a victim and a victim in this kind of rare class of people. Then the next day, they said, “wait, wait, wait, everyone can use the water, except for people who are pregnant.” That was scary. A lot of people who were pregnant were turning to me to find out what’s going on. We just didn’t feel safe, and that was an interesting position to be in.

Going back to the interview, a lot of people were like, don’t mess with a pregnant woman, she was mad. I was like, well, that was how I operated all the time. I mean, I was always prepared for interviews. So it really had nothing to do with me being pregnant and grouchy, I probably was a little extra grouchy, but as the time went on, I realized kind of what was happening. I couldn’t use the water in my own home. I had the licorice smell at my house. It was scary. So I did an interview with ABC News. I think I did a couple of other interviews, talking about being pregnant. I went on CNN.

Yohe: I saw in the interview that Southern was holding a bottle of water.

Cart: That infuriated people because you could not get bottled water. We weren’t prepared. There was a run on grocery stores. You couldn’t find bottled water, you couldn’t find baby wipes. You couldn’t find it, because I was looking for something to wipe my makeup off at night because I didn’t have a way to clean my face or anything else. So you couldn’t find any of these supplies for several days, and eventually the distribution systems got caught up, but of course you’re not prepared for something like that. So yeah, him pulling out a bottle of Aquafina or whatever it was definitely did not sit well.

Remembering The Elk River Chemical Spill 10 Years Later On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, ten years ago, a state of emergency and water advisory was issued for nine West Virginia counties following a chemical spill in the Elk River. We look back on that day and the effects of the past decade.

On this West Virginia Morning, ten years ago, a state of emergency and water advisory was issued for nine West Virginia counties following a chemical spill in the Elk River. Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice has more on the health effects of the past decade.

Also, in this show, the water crisis closed schools and businesses and became a national story of corporate distrust and community action, but the news reports began on the local level. Kallie Cart is now the deputy chief of staff for the state auditor’s office. Ten years ago, she was a reporter and anchor for Channel 8 out of Charleston and one of the lead journalists covering the devastating event. Cart spoke with Randy Yohe about her water crisis coverage, especially a live interview that went viral.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Thousands Of Gallons Of Oil Spill From Storage Tank In Kanawha County

An open valve on a storage tank spilled potentially several thousand gallons of crude oil, the Kanawha County Commission said Monday.

An oil spill Sunday in Kanawha County does not appear to pose any threat to waterways or wildlife, but officials continue to monitor the situation.

An open valve on a storage tank spilled potentially several thousand gallons of crude oil, the Kanawha County Commission said Monday.

After an odor was reported in the upper Blue Creek area, officials from Kanawha County Emergency Management, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department were able to close the valve.

Booms and heavy machinery have been moved in to clean up the spill. Officials have been checking Blue Creek down to the point where it meets the Elk River.

They report no evidence of a sheen or any harm to aquatic life.

The county’s spring trout release was supposed to take place at Clendenin and Blue Creek on Monday, but will now take place on Tuesday as a result of the spill.

Advocates Push For Rail Trails To Connect State’s Tourism Economy

West Virginia has more than 500 miles of rail trails. The state is poised to get increased funding from recent federal legislation to build more.

Thousands of miles of railroad once snaked up the hollows and river valleys of West Virginia, carrying coal and passengers. Some of the state’s rail lines still serve that purpose.

Others serve a new one: building West Virginia’s tourism economy.

West Virginia has more than 500 miles of rail trails, and the state is poised to get increased funding from recent federal legislation to build more. State officials promote such trails as drivers of economic development in places that need it. But there are challenges getting the funding to cities and counties so they can make their rail trails connect to others.

West Virginia has nationally recognized rail trails. They include the North Bend Rail Trail, which covers 72 miles from Parkersburg to just west of Clarksburg.

And the Greenbrier River Trail, which runs 77 miles along its namesake waterway. Both are state parks, managed by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

A third, the 72-mile Elk River Trail, is under construction. It will be the newest state park.

West Virginia’s rail trails are set to receive even more funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of last year — a 70 percent increase.

That could mean more communities could get the chance to become “trail towns,” hubs of trail-related tourism in West Virginia and surrounding states.

“So yeah, we’re really excited to potentially be a trail town in the future,” said Carly Jones, an assistant planner in Fairmont. Fairmont is working to acquire additional railroad property to expand its rail trail system.

Eventually, it could be a part of a 230-mile trail from Parkersburg all the way to Pittsburgh. Most of the trail will be in West Virginia. There’s only about a 20-mile gap left to make it a reality.

Kelly Pack, director of trail development for the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national advocacy organization, said the influx of federal funds will help close those gaps.

“These are the communities that are really well positioned to utilize this once in a generation infusion of federal dollars through the bipartisan infrastructure law,” Pack said.

But there are challenges unlocking those federal dollars. Unlike other states, West Virginia does not have dedicated funding for the acquisition, development and maintenance of rail trails.

The West Virginia Division of Highways administers the federal funding. Kent Spellman, a rail trail consultant and founder of the North Bend Rail Trail, calls the process “cumbersome” and “dysfunctional.”

“We need to work at the policy level to clean up those programs so that they’re more accessible to communities,” he said.

Spellman said some projects have been in limbo for as long as several years from the time of the award to the notice to proceed.

“That’s a ridiculous amount of time for a grant to just be sitting on the shelf not being used,” he said. “So the increase in funding is important. But even more important, is the state deciding that they want to use that efficiently and effectively.”

A new group, called WV TRAIL — which stands for Trail and Recreation Advocacy and Information Link — aims to change that.

The group was formed in 2020 and held a virtual conference last year that included mayors and Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby. This year’s conference will be in person next week at the Glade Springs Resort in Beckley.

“It’s about building a network of trail advocates, users and managers, and making that network very apparent to decision makers in West Virginia,” Spellman said.

The bipartisan infrastructure law, which President Joe Biden signed last November, means West Virginia will get $11 million a year for transportation alternatives, which are non-motorized modes such as hiking and biking trails. That’s a big increase from the current $6 million, Pack said.

“That means a lot, especially for the types of projects that we’re talking about,” she said.

The new funding can help West Virginia close those remaining gaps in its rail-trail system. So can other programs, such as the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program.

A $1.5 million AMLER grant, from the federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, will enable the state to purchase 23 miles of abandoned Baltimore & Ohio Railroad right-of-way in Clay County. It will close a big gap in the winding Elk River Trail.

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, Ruby and Gov. Jim Justice kicked off the trail’s construction in 2019.

“This project is a transformational opportunity for every community through which this trail will pass,” Hanshaw said then.

Progress has moved relatively fast. The trail is now open from Hartland to Gassaway, in addition to a short section in Clendenin. Another 18 miles of trail will be built along Buffalo Creek. Trail advocates hope it can one day extend all the way into Charleston.

State officials consider such projects vital to the economic future of communities hurt by the loss of coal jobs and disasters, such as the catastrophic flood of 2016.

Other federal programs are helping support rail-trail development in West Virginia.

A $1.1 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission helped create the Mountaineer Trail Network Recreation Authority. It’s a version of the successful Hatfield-McCoy Trail system in southern West Virginia, without the ATVs.

Sixteen counties are part of the network, and it projects an increase of one million visitors to the region in 10 years, and with them, hundreds of jobs.

Spellman said the authority recently hired an executive director.

“So it also will be connecting communities with funding opportunities for the development of amenities, business development opportunities,” he said, “because trails without amenities are not going to be a good experience for trail users.”

Like other tourism infrastructure, rail trails need good signage, parking and restrooms.

They also need to connect to other communities or recreational assets, Spellman said.

“A trail to nowhere from nowhere is not of great value,” he said, “but a trail that connects a community to another community, or that connects through that community, to the businesses that are in that community, or connects that rail trail to the mountain bike trail, or the water trail, or the equestrian trail.”

Spellman said West Virginia’s rail trails could be promoted as part of a package with other recreational opportunities and amenities.

“And we just have to keep up the momentum and keep providing communities, counties, and trail groups with the resources they need to be successful,” he said.

February 10, 1904: The Murder of Jay Legg

On February 10, 1904, Sarah Ann Legg shot and killed her husband, Jay, in their home at Harden’s lumber camp in Clay County. Jay floated logs downstream on the Elk River to Charleston. On the day of the shooting, he returned home early and was fatally shot with his own rifle.

His wife, Sarah, the only suspect, originally claimed Jay had shot himself. At the trial, she changed her story, saying first she’d shot him by accident and then that it’d been in self-defense. Allegations of Sarah’s infidelity came up during the trial. Along with her evolving story, this helped convict her of murder. While in jail, she appealed her case, was retried, and was acquitted in 1910. The final decision left Jay’s mother, Susan, a bitter woman who believed justice had been denied.

The incident led to a popular West Virginia folk ballad, “The Murder of Jay Legg,” sung here by Dwight Dwiller.

Residents to Get Share of $73 Million from Water Crisis Settlement

People affected by a 2014 chemical spill into a West Virginia river will soon receive their first batch of settlement checks from a class-action lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge John Copenhaver approved the distribution of the $73 million to nearly 200,000 residents and businesses.

Anthony Majestro is a lawyer for the residents and says the checks will go in the mail on Sept. 14 or Sept. 17. They’ll include an additional $1 million from former Freedom Industries President Gary Southern.

The residents and businesses sued after a chemical known as Crude MCHM spilled from a storage tank at Freedom Industries into the Elk River. It was upriver from a water plant in Charleston and people were told not to drink or clean with the water for days.