WYOMING COUNTY, W.Va. (WOAY) – In Part 1, Newswatch traced a growing water crisis in the hills of Wyoming County. From Caples to Baileysville, residents spoke of tap water that stained their sinks, stung their skin, and was confirmed unsafe for drinking.
While the focus has stayed on the faucets, the streams and rivers behind these homes reveal a deeper kind of damage. The water now flows with a threat to ecosystems, to federally protected species, and to a way of life long rooted in this land.
Residents continue to rely on bottled water, bought, hauled, and rationed on their own. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) maintains that all current discharges meet permitting standards and observed conditions are the result of natural processes.
While the paperwork says compliance, the water speaks for itself.
Now, Newswatch takes you to the streams and rivers, where the damage flows black and white, and the truth lies somewhere in the grey.
In many places, Indian Creek and tributaries to the Guyandotte and Tug Fork Rivers carry a “white-stringy” bacterial mat, rusty water, and a rotten-egg stench that burns the eyes. These waters, once teeming with fish and deer, now burden the land.
Independent tests show iron and arsenic far above legal limits, yet WVDEP insists everything is within compliance. As wildlife disappears and families grow sick, we follow the river to see where coal country is being hit the hardest.
Contaminated Streams and Rivers
“The Guyandotte River has always been a special kind of river. I think it’s kind of the glue that has held our social fabric and everything together. It’s something that we all identify with and it’s something that we now take a lot of pride in… people out west would kill to have a river like the Guyandotte,” said Rodger Bryant, director of Logan County Emergency Management.
While residents report damage and health problems, scientists and locals say the contamination doesn’t stop at the tap. Streams throughout Wyoming County, many of which flow directly into the Guyandotte and Tug Fork Rivers, have changed dramatically over the last few years.
In Caples, New Richmond, Brenton, Baileyville, Wolf Pen, Indian Creek, and many other areas, residents and scientists have documented a strange transformation: white-stringy growths, rust-colored water, and a terrible odor rising from creeks that once ran clear. Many residents have no idea what the ghostly white substance is.
“That’s a bacterial mat,” said Dr. Nathan Hitt, a senior scientist with the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. “That bacteria is processing sulfur. It’s taking sulfur from a dissolved state and putting it up into the atmosphere as hydrogen sulfide gas. And that’s why the streams stink,they smell like rotten eggs. Beyond that, Hydrogen Sulfide is toxic to humans in high amounts.”
Terry Fletcher, chief communications officer for the WVDEP, told me that sulfate-reducing bacteria isn’t harmful to humans, citing studies that support that claim. The WVDEP did not mention hydrogen sulfide.
I visited multiple streams over a dozen times across the area where I saw the white bacterial growth coating the bed of the stream, growing up on rocks and leaves, and stretching several feet across in many places. It made my eyes burn and tear up and left me with a headache on my way home nearly every time. In many places, the stench hits you before you even open your car door. It’s overpowering. The residents I was with, who have lived with this for years, often laughed at my reactions.
The WVDEP says all discharges are in “compliance with numeric water quality standards.”
However, independent testing suggests the reality in these streams tells a different story.
Independant Testing and Environmental Fallout
Residents have shouldered the burden of water testing themselves, collecting samples, paying lab fees, and tracking contamination site by site. For a few, it has cost thousands of dollars.
“The local residents have taken it upon themselves to collect water samples and to send those samples to reputable labs, The same labs that the state of West Virginia uses to understand water chemistry and to understand contaminants so we can have a lot of faith in in the data that are collected by citizens and local residents in this case,” Hitt said.
These citizen-led tests began in 2023, as water quality declined and frustrations grew. Residents said they could no longer wait for help that was never coming.
In samples submitted to Pace Analytical, the same lab WVDEP uses, test results revealed alarming violations:
- Iron reached concentrations of 325,000 ug/L, over 216x the allowable limit
- Manganese reached 43,600 ug/L, about 44x the allowable limit
- Arsenic reached 55.2 ug/L, about 5.5x the allowable limit
- Antimony was detected at nearly double the allowable limit
- Aluminum and Barium exceeded regulatory levels at multiple sites
These are not minor infractions. Iron in high concentrations can corrode pipes and stain skin. Manganese and barium have been linked to neurological and kidney problems. Arsenic is a known carcinogen.
For the residents who have spent years drinking from wells that pull from the local rivers and aquifers, these numbers represent cancer, kidney failure, and everything they have been told to ignore.
“Some days it’s strong enough to knock you back,” said Richard Altizer, who has personally funded much of the testing. “That’s not just an aesthetic issue. That’s chemical.”
Along Indian Creek, longtime residents say the changes are not only visible but devastating.
Animal Deaths and State Denial
“When I moved here [1985], you could trout fish. It was clear and cold water. Not no more, it’s ruined. It ain’t even safe for a dog to drink out of it, let alone the livestock and the deer and everything around here,” Keane said.
He is not alone.
“I’ve lived on Indian Creek all my life,” said Tereasa West. “I’ve never, in all my years of living here, seen the creek in the condition that it’s in. There’s no more fish in the water, and the last deer that I have seen here was probably about 4 or 5 months ago,”
The deaths haven’t stopped at wildlife.
Residents say their dogs, chickens, and goats have also become sick or died in recent years. While no scientific connection has been confirmed, the pattern is hard to ignore.
Terry Fletcher wrote, “WVDEP is aware of anecdotal claims involving alleged wildlife deaths and has been in communication with the WVDNR. To date, only one dead deer was reported to that agency, but the carcass was too decomposed to do any testing. WVDEP has not identified or been provided any physical evidence of dead fish or animals to verify the alleged claims.”
“It’s killed a lot of animals…because if it’s hard on a person, it’s hard on animals. Chickens and stuff, if they drank out of that, they probably won’t live six months.” Keane said.
Jamie Christian, another Wyoming County resident who lives along Indian Creek, confirmed that he has had three dogs die within the last year. All dogs have had access to the river and their deaths are still unexplained.
Another resident, who wished not to be named, told NewsWatch that her dog had died under similar circumstances.
Despite mounting complaints and environmental reports, WVDEP maintains no violations have occurred. In an email to me, spokesperson Terry Fletcher wrote:
“The required monitoring and sampling indicates that the water being discharged into Indian Creek is in compliance with numeric water quality standards.”
In the summer and fall of 2024, the WVDEP conducted stream surveys in Indian Creek.
“The results were consistent with past surveys conducted in Indian Creek and did not show impacts to the stream organisms as a result of the mine discharge,” Fletcher said.
But not everyone is convinced.
Michael Brooks, the McDowell County Commission President, said he’s worried about the water, even if few are willing to speak up.
“From what I see, what’s going on over there, I mean, absolutely it’s concerning. People can’t use their water when their wells are being sunk. And, I mean, just the smell alone, is absolutely horrific,” Brooks said.
Scientists warn that these creeks and rivers matter far beyond their immediate banks.
“These streams are drinking water sources, the Guyandotte, the Tug Fork. They’re the raw water for a lot of municipal municipal supplies. they’re also important recreational resources. They’re fisheries, they’re valued.” Hitt said.
Even as the state insists nothing is wrong, the streams tell a different story. And what is vanishing from the water isn’t just wildlife, it’s something protected by law.
Endangered Species in the Water
In numerous documented areas, contaminated water flows unchecked into the Guyandotte and Tug Fork Rivers. These rivers are home to two federally endangered species, the Guyandotte River Crayfish and the Big Sandy Crayfish.
Both of these species are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which requires many special protections for both the crayfish and their habitat. The very contamination that is destroying the wells that have provided drinking water for 100 years now threatens what little life survives in the Guyandotte and neighboring waterways.
Under Section 9 of the ESA, it is illegal to “take” a species from its natural habitat. “Take” includes harming, harassing, trapping, collecting, killing, or modifying its habitat.
If pollution is altering the habitat of these federally listed species, and the state is failing to intervene, it could trigger federal enforcement or litigation under Section 9 of the ESA, signaling a federal offense.
Despite two federally endangered species living in the river, residents report little to no involvement from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
What is killing the streams is hurting the people too. From headaches and rashes to kidney failure and cancer, the same contamination treating endangered species is flowing straight into the lives of those closest to it.
Hazards and Health Effects
As you walk these areas, you are surrounded by steep hills, gorgeous greenery, and the sound of running water and singing birds. But take a closer look at the streams, and you’re met with cloudy water, bacteria colonies, and an odor that made my eyes water. The milky cloudy water, rotten egg smell, and white bacterial growths reported across Wyoming County point to a documented pattern of mine-impacted water, according to a study done by the USGS.
“The water itself appears to be milky white, almost like a bluish white coloration that may indicate dissolved material like aluminum or other metals that are dissolved in the water. So it’s not flowing clear,” Hitt said.
Richard Altizer has paid for private testing performed by Southern West Virginia Services. He says the foam piles that are along many creeks appear far from natural.
“Things we found of significance is that there were surfactants in the water. These are natural springs coming up out of the ground and surfactants, think like dish soap, there’s no reason why something soapy should be coming out of a natural spring,” said Duane Hibbs, owner of Southern West Virginia Services.
When Hibbs was talking about what he saw during testing, he was concerned for the people in the area.
“You’re going down the river and it’s clear water, and then there’s a milky substance at random places just coming out, and it actually forms these, it almost looks like, white grass growing in the river. Now there’s a sulfur smell. That’s not necessarily a problem, but there was no sulfur smell before and the sodium levels are off the charts,” Hibbs said.
Hibbs is not the only one to raise concerns. Hitt was first concerned when he tested the conductivity of the water.
“The first measure for water quality that matters is conductivity, and we are confident about that. We can see that the levels of conductivity are several times greater than what we would expect for a healthy stream,” Hitt said.
The conductivity at one outlet being released into Indian Creek was recorded at 1159 microsiemens per centimeter, nearly double the upstream level of 628.
“The higher the conductivity, the more dissolved material there is in it, essentially measuring the ability of a solution to carry an electric charge. So the more dissolved material, the faster that electric charge is carried,” Hitt said.
Hitt says that in this region, levels above 300 microsiemens per centimeter constitute polluted waterways, and at its simplest, conductivity is a test of water purity.
These conditions are largely driven by the elevated presence of sulfur in the water. Terry Fletcher, with WVDEP, confirmed in an email that “The water being discharged does have an elevated sulfate level, which has led to the propagation of a sulfate-reducing bacteria in the stream (this is the stringy white substance).”
These colonies of sulfate bacteria are not directly harmful to humans, as Fletcher said in an email.
“This bacteria occurs naturally in sediments and water and is beneficial to stream health. While not harmful to humans or aquatic life, it does create an odor, deposits, and staining that can be aesthetically displeasing,” he said.
But the presence of the bacteria introduces another danger: hydrogen sulfide gas. Hitt said it is a serious health risk.
Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas produced during the breakdown of sulfur compounds by SRB, especially in low-oxygen environments like mine runoff. Its presence in surface streams and private wells is a strong indicator of industrial or mining-related disturbance, particularly in areas where underground mining may have intersected groundwater.
Studies across the country highlight the dangers of Hydrogen Sulfide. According to a study done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Hydrogen sulfide occurs naturally and is also produced by human activities. Just a few breaths of air containing high levels of hydrogen sulfide can cause death.”
The same release by the EPA says high levels of exposure can also cause eye and throat irritation, headaches, and neurological symptoms such as poor memory and balance issues. According to a study done by the University of Georgia, drinking water with high levels of hydrogen sulfide can cause nausea and stomach pain. High levels may also have a laxative effect and can be especially detrimental to infants and animals. Despite its presence being confirmed by the WVDEP, no state or federal agency has issued a warning, notice, or restriction specifically about the water other than the letter sent to Irvin Lee and a piece of litigation that has been wrapped up in court for over two years now.
OSHA has its own article on the gas, only reiterating the danger.
With a growing elderly population, many residents deal with these health issues on a daily basis. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) notes that children, the elderly, and people with asthma or other respiratory conditions are particularly vulnerable.
These findings are consistent with those outlined in research by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which has published multiple studies on the environmental and public health risks of SRB and hydrogen sulfide in former coal mining regions. One such study, conducted in central Appalachia, found that chronic exposure to hydrogen sulfide emissions from mine discharge sites can increase the likelihood of skin irritation, respiratory illness, and in rare cases, irreversible nervous system effects.
In addition to SRB-related impacts, the presence of arsenic in drinking water has been linked to increased risks of bladder, skin, and lung cancers, as well as cardiovascular disease and developmental issues in children. The World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classify arsenic as a Group 1 carcinogen.
Water tests conducted by the WVDEP obtained through citizen FOIA requests and reviewed by Newswatch, conducted by Pace Analytical Laboratories, confirmed exceedances of potential Clean Water Act Violations as well as permit violations.
Still, no health advisory has been issued. No emergency response has been launched to monitor or mitigate ongoing exposure.
“Please get this done for us. We’ve waited an awful long time. We’ve been let down twice now after we’ve been told that we’re going to get water,” Irvin Lee said.
According to residents and scientists, there are limitations of current water testing practices, and there might be even more that we do not know about yet.
“When we’re doing our water testing, we’re testing for specific things. You can’t take a sample and just say, hey, tell me what’s in this water. Each thing you’re testing for will have a different temperature. It has to come to lab in a different sample size. Some they might need a gallon, some they might only need a few ounces,” Hibbs said.
With animals dying, residents growing ill and the water visibly contaminated, those who have seen it firsthand are baffled by the lack of government response.
“I don’t understand why the state is not down there trying to figure this out in a very aggressive manner…There are a lot of people living down there. So it needs to be resolved quickly,” Hibbs said.
The rivers that once shaped this region now carry more than runoff, they carry harmful chemicals, silence, and stories that still haven’t been heard. In Part 3, we dive into a court case that deals with part of the water and could have big implications for the family of U.S. Senator Jim Justice. We also go into some of the laws that are in place to protect both the people and their water.
