WYOMING COUNTY, W.Va. (WOAY) – In a region known for building America’s cities with its coal, families have found themselves fighting for something far more basic: clean water.
Across over half a dozen communities, residents rely on bottled water, installing expensive filters, while still being unable to bathe, wash clothes, or cook without fear of contamination. At a recent community meeting, years of frustration finally spilled over.
“We are freaking people that deserve water. Clear water!”
The water issues go beyond appearance, they affect daily life in ways that are impossible to ignore.
“When I take a shower coming from the public water system, it shouldn’t smell like rotten eggs!”
While residents gathered in Wyoming County to learn from both scientists and neighbors, down in McDowell County, Governor Morrisey expressed the state’s desire to step in and help. Still, he said they needed formal submissions, which the county commission claims they have already done.
The State’s Position
In an interview last week, Wyoming County Commission President Jason Mullins said the county has already submitted multiple formal plans to upgrade local water systems.
“We do have quite a few requests going on right now, for funding to upgrade these water plants and water systems in the southern part of the state, especially here in Wyoming County,” Mullins said.
Governor Morrisey said his office conducted a follow-up after WOAY’s recent reporting, double-checking claims that dozens of proposals had already been sent for funding.
“They haven’t done that in some of the projects. They did for Pineville, but the local community didn’t do it in some of the others,” Morrisey said. “We actually checked,”
His office confirmed that only one project, for Pineville, has been formally submitted with the necessary paperwork. He added that while the state is eager to help, it is bound by process and paperwork.
“We are eager to review things, we want to try to be helpful, but it’s a process.”
“Every man, woman, and child should have access to safe, clean drinking water. These are the kinds of investments that are going to protect public health, strengthen local economies, and lay the foundation for a brighter future,” Morrisey said.
As county and state leaders shuffle paperwork back and forth, residents are left to drink the water that has decayed trust, hope, and their health.
Confirmed Crisis
“Wyoming County is in a water crisis, and we see that through national studies,” said Dr. Than Hitt, senior scientist with the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. “But really, where it matters is right here in Wyoming County.”
Hitt, who has studied waterways across the region, said the signs are unmistakable.
“We do see a lot of bacterial contamination,” Hitt explained. “But there are other things we need to know more about in terms of potential coalbed methane byproducts, surfactants… There’s a lot of uncertainty about that. But we do know there’s a water crisis here.”
When it comes to the sulfur smell blanketing parts of the county, Mariah Clay with WV Rivers didn’t hesitate, “It’s sulfur. I mean, just to get down to the basics, it’s sulfur. When we smell that rotten egg smell, it’s sulfur, and it can be toxic at high levels. When you smell it, just driving down the road, I’d say that’s pretty high levels.”
For residents like Margaret Shields, the crisis has stolen more than water. It’s taken holidays, security, and peace of mind.
“I cannot tell you the many Christmases and Thanksgivings that we did not have water. The water is horrible.”
Another resident described how quickly her health had deteriorated.
“I moved to Brenton six years ago, I had no health conditions. Now, there’s cardiac, they don’t know if I’ve got cancer. I had to do biopsies on several places. I have hypothyroidism, I have gastrointestinal diseases,” one resident said.
For many, this is not just about water, it’s about survival.
“Why is nobody helping us? Why is Wyoming County being ignored? Why are all these people sick from the same thing? You know, and it’s just it falls on deaf ears,” Wendy Ziliak said. “Why is nobody asking why?”
Maury Johnson, another longtime advocate, explained, “What’s happening here and across West Virginia is a crime. It’s a crime against humanity, and against the environment.”
Others put it even more bluntly:
- “Why is it that we the poor people, the hillbilies, we’re disposable?”
- “We need to start speaking up, and we got to stick together!”
- “Our water is now worse than Flint, Michigan. Why is nobody coming? Why is it nobody is talking about us?”
- “It’s just it’s heartbreaking because it shouldn’t be this way. We should not be this sick here.”
The meeting was full of not just grief, but also grit and self-reliance.
- “If it weren’t for coal, this country would not run, I know that; however, these people have to do it right and safe!”
- “Don’t be quiet about it, be loud, hold the politicians accountable. They aren’t doing their jobs.”
- “We need to start holding these people accountable, every last one of them!”
With residents feeling like their voices are falling on deaf ears, they are turning to each other for help.
Residents Enraged By Lack Of Action
“It’s an outrage. I mean, it breaks your heart. It makes you mad. Something’s got to be done,” Ziliak said. “There are third-world countries that are better off than these people are.”
With no firm plan from the county or the state to provide long-term clean water solutions, many residents like Zach Shrewsbury have grown past the point of patience.
“If we want to preach about America first, where is America in that? You’re leaving America behind, leaving Wyoming behind, leaving the miners behind.”
The frustration with officials was unanimous, “You people do not produce, and we need people who are going to give us results, not excuses. We’re sick of excuses,” Shields said.
“Their kids don’t want to stay here. There’s nothing for them but more disease and bad water,” Johnson said.
Residents have sent the emails, they have made the calls, yet they still cannot get clean water.
“We have written letters. You call, you get sent to voicemail. Nobody returned your calls,” Ziliak said.
“I stay on top of it, I call them every week, Margaret knows that,” another resident said.
For many residents, staying isn’t a choice; it is the only choice.
“It’s sad because some people don’t leave because it’s home, and some people don’t leave because they can’t. They’re forced to live with this,” Ziliak said.
Science in the Hands of the People
At the community meeting in Wyoming County, residents weren’t just there to speak out, they came to learn how to fight back with science.
“Today’s meeting was fantastic because community members know best,” said Dr. Than Hitt. “They know the water that they live with every day. So what I’m interested in doing is giving people tools to do the basic science so that we can hold the elected officials accountable.”
One of those tools? A simple device that can go a long way.
“One thing we did today is we gave folks the tools to sample and measure conductivity in the stream water near their house,” Hitt said. “Conductivity is super important because it tells you how much dissolved material there is in water.”
Dissolved material levels give scientists insights into water quality. Values over 300 microsiemens per centimeter (µS/cm) act as a screen, tipping them off to places of interest.
“It tells us okay, look here. There’s something going on. We need to follow up. And we need to present that data to the state and other people to fix the water.”
West Virginia Rivers partners with citizens across the state to monitor streams and water quality. Hitt said this kind of tool is a game-changer.
“It’s something that anybody can do. Our office can then document this, and we can look at trends. This is something that can support what DEP does with the state agencies. It also puts the power in the hands of the community,” Hitt said.
Clay added: “The community knows what’s going on. The community members are the experts on the situation. And when they tell you, listen.”
According to Hitt, this was just the beginning. “There’s a lot of energy in the room today at this community meeting, and I’m looking forward to working with these people moving forward. It’s really important,” he said. “People are upset, and they ought to be. They want accountability, and they want someone to fix the problem.”
Hitt explained that the issue is extremely complex, and a solution would be the same.
“It’s not going to be simple. It’s not going to be free. But we have to make these voices heard, and we have to follow up. We have to do the work.”
While scientists like Hitt analyze the data, the importance of community meetings like these don’t go unnoticed.
“It’s going to take local leadership. And that’s what we saw today. We saw local leadership starting, just have to empower it and fan those flames, and we’ll see what kind of progress we can make,” Hitt said.
In a place where state and county solutions have stalled, Hitt and others believe the most powerful force for change might already be here.
“Local communities know best. Local communities know best. The states, the feds, the cavalry, is not coming. So local communities are taking care of themselves, neighbors taking care of neighbors. It’s important, and we can do that with tools like stream monitoring.”
The Man Who Made It Happen
Long before the community meeting filled the room with emotion, it was Richard Altizer who made sure it happened at all.
Altizer organized the community meeting from the ground up. He reserved the space, spread the word, brought in experts, and made sure residents had a chance to be heard. He’s not an official, not a politician. He is a resident who couldn’t stand to stay quiet.
“If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t hear anything from anybody. Nobody, I mean, nobody calls, nobody comes,” Ricky Lane said.
But this isn’t new for him.
For years, Altizer has been spending his own time and money, over $10,000, delivering bottled water, walking streams, and paying for independent lab testing.
“Well, it started almost two years ago. Now we’ve got a lot of bladder cancers, tumors, and kidney failures. I just felt like it was my responsibility, and I’ll continue to do it as long as they need water,” he said.
He’s used his personal truck to navigate back roads and hollers, hauling pallets of water to people who have no other source.
“If it wasn’t for Richard, we’d be in a world of hurt,” another resident said.
It’s taken a toll, financially, physically, and emotionally. But Altizer keeps going, driven by what he calls basic decency, but even after all the hours, the work and the money he’s poured in, he still sees neighbors living without the most basic dignity.
“It still bothers me because most people have to go and leave indian creek to take showers. They have to get to go to the aquatic center down past Brenton or they go to their family members.”
In a place where few leaders have shown up, Richard did more than show up. He gave people their voice back and listened to what they had to say.
What Comes Next
The next court hearing is set for July 9 at the Pineville Courthouse at 1:00 P.M., and residents are watching closely. It’s the latest chapter in a legal fight that could determine who pays, and who gets left behind.
But for the families living with sulfur, sickness, and silence, the urgency goes far beyond the courtroom.
Grassroots groups like Blue Jay Rising, along with local volunteers like Altizer, are still delivering bottled water by the pallet. Residents are still emailing, still calling, and still waiting.
“We have written letters. You call, you get sent to voicemail. Nobody returned your calls,” said Wendy Ziliak.
“I stay on top of it. I call them every week,” another resident said.
Some have turned to citizen science, monitoring streams near their homes and submitting data through the WV Stream Watch app (Read more about that here).
As residents struggle for clean water access, their message to state leaders and lawmakers is simple:
“If you wouldn’t expect your family to live like this, quit expecting mine to.”
