Morrisey announces water, sewage investments in 4 WV counties, including Kanawha

A majority of the grant funds — all but $1.34 million — comes from the state Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council, which is a clearing house for infrastructure projects in the state. The remaining grant funds will be disbursed by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Water and sewage projects in West Virginia tend to be high-cost, but also highly necessary. Water infrastructure is rapidly aging across the state and dilapidated service structures often lead numerous communities to go without adequate drinking water service. Other areas of the state are still not connected to centralized water and sewage systems, relying instead on private wells or outdated septic systems that can illegally drain sewage directly into drinking water sources.

According to the IJDC’s 2023 Needs Assessment, the state needs to spend at least $13.9 billion to both expand water and sewage services to every existing structure and maintain the services lines that already exist. Per the report, however, the future needs “may be understated by as much as $4 billion,� raising the total monetary need to nearly $18 billion.

On Thursday, Morrisey said the water infrastructure investments were crucial to help the state compete economically.

“You can’t talk about growing your economy if you don’t have basic infrastructure in place. We’re certainly working to make that happen,� Morrisey said. “These are the basics, and I’m excited that we’re focusing on the basics. That’s how West Virginia is going to soar.�

Projects announced Thursday are as follows:

Kanawha County

Communities throughout Kanawha County will receive a total of $1.9 million in grants and $9.2 million from a singular loan to the Kanawha County Regional Development Authority.

Per a news release from the governor, $1 million in IJDC grant funds will be awarded to the authority in addition to the $9.2 million loan to extend centralized water service to 110 new customers in Olcott. Work has been ongoing to connect Olcott residents to centralized water service for several years.

The total project cost for the Olcott area is about $11.4 million. With the newly announced funds — which will come in addition to funds from the Kanawha County Commission, the Kanawha County RDA and a “private utility partner� — the total project costs have been covered.

It’s likely that the “private utility partner� for the Olcott project is West Virginia American Water, as the water company has been in talks since at least 2021 to provide service for the area and is the only private water utility operating in Kanawha County. It’s unclear if the money given for the project will cover the tap fee for residents to connect to the centralized service, which can cost around $300 per a household.

In Marmet, $400,000 in IJDC grant funds will go toward repairing a “stream embankment failure� at the Marmet Wastewater Treatment Plant. The total project cost is $440,000 which, along with funds from the Marmet Sanitary Board, has now been completely raised.

And lastly, the Elk Valley Public Service District will receive a $500,000 in IJDC grant funds to modify chlorine tanks at the sewage system. The upgrade will allow the utility to use “alternative means of disinfection� within the system. Per the release, the project will largely affect 4,500 customers in the Elkview area. The total project cost is about $1.16 million, which has now been met.

Harrison County

The town of Anmoore, in Harrison County, will receive $1.34 million in grants from the WVDEP’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for various projects. Those include replacing failing lines, installing 24 new fire hydrants and upgrading meters.

The total project cost is $3.56 million and will affect service for about 475 people, per the release.

Marion County

The Greater Paw Paw Public Service District will receive $500,000 in IJDC grant funds to repair seven pump stations in its sewage system. The project will largely affect about 157 customers in the Baxter area. The total project cost is $1 million, which has now been raised.

Ritchie County

The town of Cairo will receive $1 million in IJDC grant funds to replace a river-crossing water line and perform “other system improvements.� The total project cost is $4.2 million and will affect 157 customers throughout the municipality’s service area.