PINEVILLE, W.Va. (WOAY) – For nearly two years, the residents of Indian Creek have been left to fend for themselves without access to clean water. While government officials remain slow to act, a group of dedicated volunteers has stepped in—driving for hours, hauling thousands of gallons, and making sure their neighbors have the water they need to survive.
“Indian Creek is in dire straits. Nobody wants to recognize the problem that’s there. Everybody wants to shift the blame. It’s not about blame to me. It’s about making sure people have water,” Tony Mullins said.
“It’s [water] ruining everything in the house. It’s ruined our health. We’re worse than a third-world country down here. They forgot about us,” said Bobby Keane, a residential homeowner on Indian Creek.
The water crisis in Indian Creek isn’t new. For years, residents have reported rust-colored water, foul smells, and dangerous contaminants. Some have lost appliances, replacing dishwashers, washing machines, and water heaters multiple times. Others have lost something far more valuable, their health.
“We got third-stage kidney disease, me and my wife both. That’s [water] the only thing we can think of that has done it,” Keene said.
Without local, state, or federal support, families have been left with impossible choices: buy clean water to drink, cook, and bathe, or buy vital medicine.
“There are some people that if we don’t give them water, they can’t buy medicine. And we know that for a fact. And we know for a fact that some people were coming down with illnesses due to the water,” Richard Altizer, a community volunteer, said.
For many, bottled water isn’t just for drinking—it’s for cooking, bathing, and even washing clothes. And without a steady supply, it means stretching every drop.
“My kids and grandkids won’t even take a shower here. They go over to Oceana, back over to my granddaughter’s house. They’re afraid of the arsenic,” Keene said.
For Bobby, the struggle goes beyond just relying on bottled water. He spends over $160 a month on filters and water softeners to make what little water he has usable.
“Right now, I spend over $160 a month in filters and that rent on that piece of crap out there, and it ain’t doing a bit of good,” Keene said. “My water smells like sewer. My wife breaks out every time she showers.”
Even after filtering, the water still stains clothes and dishes. “You wash your dishes in it, and they turn yellow. Even a pair of blue jeans will turn yellow. You’ve got to throw them away,” Keene said.
Despite the lack of government action, people in the community have refused to let their neighbors suffer. Richard, a local volunteer, has spent the last two years ensuring families in Indian Creek have water.
“I had some friends that lived on the creek. A couple of them had passed away. Now we’ve got a lot of bladder cancers, tumors on bladders, and kidney failures. I just felt like it was my responsibility. And I got help from some of my friends to ensure everybody on Indian Creek gets water. Like I say, we’ve been here for almost two years and we’ll continue to do it as long as they need water,” Richard explained.
Each week, Richard and other volunteers, like Jerry Sutherland, spend hours driving across the region, securing bottled water wherever they can.
“We’ve been doing this for two years. Me and Richard’s running our trucks to death, hauling water from Princeton, Beckley—basically just wherever we can get it. I feel bad for the people down there in Indian Creek,” said Sutherland, “I’ve had to put brakes on it, tires on it. But that’s just minor stuff compared to what these people are going through. I don’t mind spending money out of pocket as long as I know I’m helping my neighbor. And if it makes their days, then that makes me feel good.”
Their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. The Itman Food Bank and organizations like Blue Jay Rising have stepped in to help distribute water to families who need it most.
Tony Mullins, director of the Itman Food Bank, says they help whenever possible. “Anytime I can get any donated from Mountaineer, I get it and get it to them as quick as possible because of the need,” he said.
A Life Without Running Water
Life in Indian Creek presents daily challenges as residents navigate the harsh realities of living without access to clean water. Bathing has become increasingly difficult, forcing some to travel miles to find a safe shower. Others must rely on bottled water for cooking and drinking while struggling with the effects of using contaminated water for other daily tasks.
“You turn that faucet on, it’s on you. My wife’s hair feels like a wire brush when she gets out of the shower. My wife’s eczema is worse because of the water. If you don’t have body spray, you can smell yourself afterward,” Keene said.
For families with livestock, the consequences are just as dire.
“Chickens and dogs have died from drinking this water. If it’s hard on a person, it’s hard on animals. And we eat the animals. That’s the funny part of it,” Keene said.
Even the once-thriving wildlife has disappeared. “They used to stock trout in this creek. Now it ain’t even safe for a dog to drink out of it. I wouldn’t even let a hog drink in it, and a hog will eat anything,” Keene said.
While the community has shown incredible resilience, the community says Indian Creek shouldn’t have to rely on volunteers. Residents say that local and state officials should be doing more.
“The county doesn’t care. They don’t care either because if they did, they’d have somebody out here fixing this,” Keene said.
For many, the lack of response is not just an inconvenience—it’s a matter of life and death.
“There’s probably 40 to 50 houses. Sometimes, it varies. And there’s a lot more that can afford it [bottled water], that buy their own. And then there’s some people that just can’t afford it. You know, there’s some people that if we don’t give them water, they can’t buy medicine,” Richard said.
Jerry Sutherland shares that frustration. “If it’s broke, fix it. Simple. If you goof up, fix it,” he said. “These people can’t afford to go out and buy water every week. It’s up to us as a community to make sure they get what they need.”
For the surrounding area, the struggle for clean water is not just Indian Creek’s fight—it is a warning. The residents here never expected to live without safe drinking water, and they fear other communities could be next.
“What scares me about this whole deal is, okay, it’s happening there, it’s spreading, it’s getting worse. It’s in other communities,” said Tony Mullins. “When is it going to be me? When is it going to be my community?”
Mullins believes that ignoring the issue now only increases the chances of others facing the same crisis in the future.
“I’m blessed. I have good water, and I just couldn’t imagine not having it—to the point that you can’t even shower in it. It’s absurd to me. It’s just crazy that people live that way. And I think, when am I going to be that person?” Mullins said.
For many involved, the fight for clean water isn’t just about Indian Creek. It’s about ensuring that no other community is left to fend for itself, struggling for one of life’s most basic necessities.
Despite the hardships, the volunteers remain committed to their mission. They have no plans to stop, no matter how many miles they have to drive or how many hours they spend loading and unloading water.
“We just got to make sure that these people down here got water. The cancer rate down here is higher than it is anywhere in the United States. There’s a reason for that. We need people to come in. We need our local officials to start finding out why this is going on,” Altizer said.
Though county officials say they need current litigation to settle before they can step in, Wyoming County Commission President Jason Mullins has been helping distribute water. While it is a small step, it is one that has not gone unnoticed by the people of Indian Creek.
Until a permanent solution is in place, it’s the generosity and determination of local volunteers that will keep mouths from running dry.
