Stock car racing’s roots run deep in Appalachia. Our twisty roads and dark hollers were home to moonshiners — and moonshine runners, who became known for their driving skills. And they became some of NASCAR’s first stars when it formed in 1948. But NASCAR’s oldest continuous racing team had nothing to do with moonshine.
Home » What Could Fix Appalachia's Crumbling Water Systems?
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What Could Fix Appalachia's Crumbling Water Systems?
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It’s easy to take water for granted. You just turn on the sink and it comes out of the tap. It’s not something we think about — that is, until we’re forced to. Public health officials have found high levels of lead and other contaminants in drinking water in several cities across the nation, but it’s not just the Rust Belt. Lots of rural communities in Appalachia also have unsafe drinking water.
In the early 1900s, coal mining firms built company towns with little attention to long-term infrastructure. Decades later, local residents are dealing with the consequences. As residents moved away and the coal economy declined, this left many of these communities with crumbling infrastructure and inadequate drinking water.
President Joe Biden’s “American Jobs Plan” includes billions of dollars that would go to fixing water systems, but will it be enough to fix the underlying issues? And will it make a difference in the lives of the poorest, most vulnerable people?
“The problems with water are connected with poverty and power,” said Brett Walton, who’s been reporting on water for 11 years. Walton writes for Circle of Blue — a nonprofit newsroom that reports on water issues across the U.S. and internationally.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear from people in Appalachia who are taking the situation into their own hands, trying to bring clean drinking water to their friends and neighbors.
We’ll travel to McDowell County, West Virginia, where a local food pantry is bringing drinking water to residents who have lived without clean water for years. And we’ll hear from former coal miner Carroll Smith about his push in the 1990s to bring clean drinking water and safe wastewater disposal to communities across Lecher County, Kentucky. He’ll share where he ran into challenges.
“In Deep”: Small Town, Big Struggles This week on Inside Appalachia, we hear a radio documentary from the podcast “In Deep.” The show, which is produced by APM Reports, takes a look at the water infrastructure in Letcher County, Kentucky. The county is dependent on coal and is currently dealing with the consequences of failing water infrastructure.
Tackling The Issue From All Angles In McDowell County, West Virginia, the pipes are so bad that many people don’t have running water at home. A local food bank is working with a California-based non-profit and the local utility company to bridge the water gap. They’re trying new technologies, repairing the old ones and setting up standalone systems.
Laura Harbert Allen brings us the story on the county’s multi-angle approach to fix the system.
Training A New Generation Not only does access to clean water rely on the technical and logistical side, it also relies on humans as well. Thirty to 50 percent of the workforce in water and wastewater is expected to retire within the next 10 years. These operators are the ones with the knowledge and experience to maintain thousands of individual, sometimes finicky systems across the country.
The National Rural Water Association created a program to preserve this institutional knowledge. As Jessica Lilly found out, it also promotes a new kind of sustainable job that helps people stay close to home.
Reflecting On The Takeaways Water infrastructure defines so much of our lives, whether we think about it or not. To reflect on the big takeaways, Inside Appalachia co-host Mason Adams spoke with Brett Walton. Walton has been reporting on water for 11 years and writes for Circle of Blue — a non-profit newsroom that reports on water issues across the U.S. and internationally.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Dinosaur Burps and Blue Dot Sessions.
Roxy Todd is our producer. Jade Artherhults is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Andrea Billups. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Catherine Moore and Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode. You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.
Stock car racing’s roots run deep in Appalachia. Our twisty roads and dark hollers were home to moonshiners — and moonshine runners, who became known for their driving skills. And they became some of NASCAR’s first stars when it formed in 1948. But NASCAR’s oldest continuous racing team had nothing to do with moonshine.
On this West Virginia Morning, domestic violence prevention advocates lined the State Capitol rotunda in February, seeking a budget increase. They said lawmakers were receptive to the idea. But no increase was passed before this year’s regular legislative session ended. Jack Walker checked in with domestic violence prevention advocates on funding needs as a potential special session approaches.
For Sue and Stan Jennings, woodworking isn’t just a way to make a living, it’s a way of life. What started out as a passion for the craft was born out of necessity. Over the last 30 years, the Jennings have developed a thriving business making wood objects called treenware — small wooden kitchen utensils.
On this West Virginia Morning, as the primary race for governor enters the home stretch, some candidate’s negative attack ads running endlessly on broadcast and social media target a minority group – transgender children. But what is the fallout from these ads for this vulnerable group, and West Virginia children and families in general? Randy Yohe has the story.