West Virginia Governor Announces $3.2 Million Clean Water Plan for McDowell and Mingo Counties, Reaching 5,000 Well-Water Households
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced a $3.2 million clean water initiative on November 4 to provide clean, dependable drinking water to 5,000 households in McDowell and Mingo counties that rely on private wells, springs or cisterns, benefiting more than 10,000 residents.
According to the governor's office announcement of November 4, the initiative pairs state and federal funds to reach homes outside municipal water service. The federal Rural Health Transformation Program provides $1.2 million for the Personal Health Accelerator clean water project, assisting 1,000 high-priority and crisis households, including homes without running water, homes with elevated bacteria or nitrate levels, and households with infants or seniors; it covers comprehensive state lab water testing, customized filtration units, well disinfection, replacement filters through September 2027 and post-treatment verification testing. The Governor's Civil Contingent Fund adds $2 million to provide equipment to another 4,000 households, each receiving a countertop water purification system.
The governor's office noted that groundwater problems are widespread in the region: recent studies by Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey found coliform bacteria in 65% to 90% of wells and springs tested locally. The Department of Health and Department of Environmental Protection will issue a competitive funding announcement to select a qualified organization for household distribution and testing, working with local partners including the McDowell County Commission on Aging, food banks, churches and volunteer fire departments. The funding announcement is expected to open this week, a final award is expected in January, and water testing and filtration system distribution are expected to begin in February 2027.
(Source: Office of the Governor of West Virginia)
Source: Office of the Governor of West Virginia
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Welch 的麦克道尔县法院大楼。公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The McDowell County Courthouse in Welch. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
