PRINCETON, W.Va. - Governor Patrick Morrisey concluded his two-day Water Listening Tour on Wednesday after meeting with residents, local officials, water operators, business leaders, and community stakeholders across southern West Virginia.
"Every West Virginian deserves clean, reliable water, no matter where they live," said Governor Morrisey. "People are frustrated, and I understand why. We're taking what we learned back to Charleston and using it to build a stronger water bill for the next legislative session."
Since taking office, the Morrisey administration has helped leverage more than $550 million in water and wastewater investments statewide, including more than $174 million in direct state grants and loans.
During one of today’s stops, Governor Morrisey announced a $1.4 million award for water infrastructure improvements in Gary.
Throughout the tour, Governor Morrisey heard about a range of challenges facing water systems across southern West Virginia during stops in Huntington, Wayne, Fort Gay, Crum, Williamson, Oceana, Welch, Gary, War, and Princeton. He heard concerns about everything from aging infrastructure to the challenges facing smaller communities. In Wayne, local officials described a system that pumps nearly one million gallons of water each day but loses roughly 700,000 gallons before it reaches customers.
"That's exactly why we took this tour," said Governor Morrisey. "You can read reports all day long, but nothing compares to hearing directly from the people who operate these systems and the families who depend on them. Those conversations gave us a clearer picture of the challenges communities are facing. Those conversations gave us a clearer picture of the challenges communities are facing and will help us build a stronger water bill for next session."
The administration will build upon the experiences and recommendations shared over the past two days as it continues working with local officials, water operators, public service districts, and community leaders to address West Virginia's long-standing water infrastructure challenges.