The January spill of the coal-processing chemical MCHM in West Virginia poisoned the tap water of some 300,000 people. Stories are now emerging that some of them were inmates at the regional jail who were denied access to ample, clean water.
Blog Archives
Stories from South Central Regional Jail, WV
TAGS: Appalachian Water Watch Chemical Spill MCHM public health Water Crisis Water Pollution West Virginia
Toxic Warnings: Recent Spills Underscore Lack of Water Oversight
By Kimber Ray In the early morning hours of Jan. 9, Kim Thompson was getting ready to leave her South Charleston home in Kanawha Co. — the most populated region in the mountains of West Virginia — and head out…
Standing Up for the Guardians of Our Air and Water
North Carolina has learned a tough lesson in the Dan River coal ash spill: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Appalachian Voices’ own Amy Adams makes a strong case for protecting the water in the Tarheel State.
Attempts at Legislation, Regulation Follow Water Threats
By Molly Moore Almost as soon as West Virginia American Water Company ordered 300,000 residents to avoid contact with their tap water, the question arose: why was crude MCHM, a chemical now known to be highly toxic, so poorly understood…
Who Has Priority Over Water?
By Matt Wasson, Ph.D. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — What do January’s Kanawha Valley chemical spill, the Exxon Valdez spill and the Deepwater Horizon incident have in common? All were man-made environmental disasters, disrupting the lives of thousands of people, and all…
Wary and Waiting
By Karen Smith Zornes I didn’t have a problem with the spill at first; I thought, “Accidents happen.” But when it came time for us to flush, I had an asthma attack from the smell. I went outside for fresh…
One Seriously Angry Granny
By Linda Sodaro Sometime last year, my good friend Kim and I had a conversation about the joys of a hot shower. The perfect temperature, with lovely handmade soap and standing there as long as we liked. She said, “I…
An Expanded Idea of Leadership
By Jen Osha Buysse The stories that get me the most are the stories of mothers with children who are sick and asking why the state is not considering it an emergency. Why is the government providing less emergency water…
A Son’s Outrage
By Dustin White I tried to take a Jan. 28 sample of the water from my dad’s West Virginia American Water tap — the gallon jug above — into the state capitol to show our politicians the water we are…
West Virginia Pride
By Hannah Spencer Through this disaster I have been reassured that I am proud to be a West Virginian. The folks who make me proud to be a West Virginian are those who haven’t had work since the water crisis,…
