by Anna N. Saab, WVEC Communications Coordinator
Elkhorn Creek, a tributary in McDowell and Mercer counties, has a history of pollution from chemical spills. Photo courtesy of the WV Faith Collective.
For decades, the southern coalfields of West Virginia have struggled with clean water access. McDowell County has had a boil water advisory for more than 10 years. But clergy from the United Methodist Church have set out to change that.
The water systems built and maintained by coal companies a generation ago have all but collapsed in many counties across the state. Without the financial support of the coal industry, communities have been left without money to support the decaying water systems.
“Communities of 200 people can’t afford an $11 million project,” Reverend Caitlin Ware of From Below: Rising for Coalfield Justice said.
But funding for water system repairs isn’t the only problem.
“Well water in particular, can be influenced by straight piping or coal mining or gas wells—there’s definitely corporate pollution as well as a lack of waste water infrastructure,” Rev. Ware explained.
It wasn’t that long ago that she and her co-director, Reverend Brad Davis, first realized just how complex the water crisis was. What began as a focus on clean water access in McDowell County quickly expanded.
A Welch City resident’s water photographed in 2025. Submitted courtesy of the WV Faith Collective.
In 2024, the clergy were speaking with Wyoming County residents about solving what they thought was a temporary water emergency.
“Everybody laughed, and I asked, ‘Why are you laughing?’” said Rev. Ware. “They were like, ‘We haven’t had clean water in years.’”
Suddenly the focus shifted from McDowell County to a more regional approach. A multi-county issue needs a multifaceted solution. That’s when the Coalfield Clean Water Act was born.
The legislation—the first step in a two-part plan—would amend the state code to allow lawmakers to allocate funds from the Revenue Shortfall Fund (Rainy Day Fund) for public health crises like that in the southern coalfield communities. The next step would be a $250 million allocation for water access in these communities. Some legislators are concerned that the positive impact isn’t worth the cost.
“Lawmakers are saying that would hurt the state bond rating, which it will not,” Rev. Ware explained, “According to their own calculations, as long as 20% of the allocating budget goes into it, it will not hurt the bond rating.”
Despite this, Rev. Ware says legislators are still concerned. Some leaders have argued that the large allocation will only go towards coalfield communities, which won’t help their own constituents.
A lack of potable water poses issues for residents across the southern coalfields. Photo courtesy of the WV Faith Collective.
“My response to that, as someone from Taylor County,” Rev. Ware continued, “I have issues in my county. We’re all well aware this is an issue across the state, but we’re talking about areas that haven’t had it [clean water] for 50 years. What they have is burning their skin.”
What might seem like just a drinking water issue is more complicated. It’s also an issue of fire service. West Virginia has one of the highest rates of house fire deaths in the country—in part due to a lack of water access, Rev. Ware alleged.
“When you look at the DEP Water Intended Use Plan, multiple communities noted that they’re losing fire services,” she said, “We just saw in Brooke County a couple of months ago where a historic house burnt down because the hydrants weren’t working.”
At face value, the lack of water access might seem solely like a public health issue. Ware explained it’s also an economic issue.
“Businesses don’t want to come to communities that don’t have fire service. [Water access] could potentially boost economies,” she said.
The Act isn’t just about providing potable water—it’s about restoring communities left behind by industry and state government. Ware hopes leaders will view it as an investment, not just an expense. She urges supporters to continue to uplift photos and videos on social media and educate their leaders.
“They [lawmakers] just keep saying there’s nothing we can do, but there is. If you don’t want it out of the rainy day fund, pull it from somewhere else,” she explained, “It can be done if you choose to do something.”
Readers interested in following the Coalfield Clean Water Act’s progress and learning more about From Below’s work can follow them on Facebook.
