FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2026
CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (276) 289-1018, dan@appvoices.org
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On Feb. 16 at 10 a.m., the faith-based coalfield organizing and advocacy group From Below will host a press conference in front of the House Chamber and rally advocating for the introduction and passage of the Coalfield Clean Water Act. The conference will feature several residents from West Virginia’s southern coalfields who do not have access to clean, safe drinking water.
The Coalfield Clean Water Act would appropriate $250 million from the state’s Rainy Day fund to be used for public health emergencies, directing that money to be allocated for approved, shovel-ready water improvement projects in the southern coalfields. The funds will go to the highest-priority projects listed in the Fiscal Year 2027 West Virginia Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan in each of nine southern West Virginia counties with chronically distressed water systems and widespread groundwater contamination that has made it more difficult for residents to depend on wells and springs for drinking water. The counties named in the bill include Boone, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Raleigh and Wyoming.
The 2026 version of that plan includes $463 million in southern coalfield projects. The fund has $56 million in available money for the entire state.
Several residents experiencing ongoing water issues will speak, and there will be an opportunity for the press to ask them questions. Coalfield residents will also be talking to delegates throughout the day, which is Rural Health Day at the legislature.
Many coalfield communities have aging water systems and contamination issues that make water unsafe for drinking, cooking or bathing. Declining populations and fragile economies make modernizing and improving those systems an extremely difficult task, leaving residents dealing with tap water that can be discolored or emit strange odors. Many have suffered adverse health effects from drinking and bathing in their water, such as mouth sores and skin rashes, forcing them to either buy bottled water or rely on water distributed through donations. Independent monitoring of residential tap water in these areas has shown varying levels of numerous pollutants, with some of the most alarming being arsenic and lead.
The Coalfield Clean Water Act is sponsored by Del. David Green, R-McDowell, and Anitra Hamilton, D-Monongalia, and has bipartisan support in the House of Delegates.
