As the past chairman of the West Virginia Section of the American Water Works Association, I have spent much of my career working alongside water professionals from every corner of our state.
From the Northern Panhandle to the southern coalfields, one reality remains consistent: West Virginia's water infrastructure requires continued investment.
Every day, millions of gallons of water move through treatment plants, storage tanks, pumps, valves, hydrants and thousands of miles of underground pipe that most people never see, and that's exactly the point.
When water infrastructure works, nobody notices. When it fails, everyone does.
Across our state, water systems face growing challenges. Aging infrastructure, rising construction costs, evolving regulatory requirements, workforce shortages and decades of deferred investment have created significant needs that cannot be ignored.
The infrastructure and the people
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently assigned West Virginia's drinking water infrastructure a D+ grade. Despite substantial federal investment in recent years, experts estimate our state still faces an approximately $897 million drinking water infrastructure funding gap. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates West Virginia will require roughly $4.5 billion in drinking water infrastructure investment over the next two decades.
Those numbers are significant, but they are not simply infrastructure statistics. They represent communities, families, businesses but ultimately the future of our state.
I've seen firsthand what happens when communities postpone necessary infrastructure investments. Small problems become larger ones. Planned projects become emergency repairs. Costs increase, reliability suffers and ultimately, customers pay a greater price when investments are delayed rather than addressed proactively.
The question is not whether investment is needed. The question is whether we are willing to make those investments before problems become crises.
Making water a true priority
As chief operating officer and executive vice president for southern West Virginia's largest water provider, Beckley Water, I see this reality firsthand every day.
I've stood beside water main breaks at 2 a.m. in the middle of winter. I've watched crews work through freezing temperatures, storms, holidays and weekends to restore service as quickly as possible. I've seen the dedication required to keep water flowing to homes, hospitals, schools, businesses and fire departments when customers need it most.
Those experiences reinforce a simple truth. Reliable water service does not happen by accident. It happens because communities choose to invest in the infrastructure that makes it possible.
That is why Beckley Water has invested nearly $20 million in our system over the past five years alone.
We have not made those investments because regulations require it. We have made them because reliable service, safe water and future growth require it.
Those investments are creating jobs for contractors, engineers, operators, technicians, construction crews, equipment suppliers and local businesses. They are supporting economic activity throughout Southern West Virginia while strengthening the infrastructure that communities depend upon every day.
More importantly, they are supporting the essential services that define quality of life.
- Water supports public health. Every hospital, clinic, nursing home and healthcare provider depends on safe, reliable water.
- Water supports public safety. Every fire department depends on adequate water supply and dependable infrastructure to protect lives and property.
- Water supports education. Every school depends on clean water and proper sanitation to provide a safe learning environment for students.
- Water supports economic development. Before a manufacturer can open a facility or build a project, before a community can grow, reliable infrastructure must already be in place.
- Water infrastructure is economic development infrastructure, and perhaps most importantly, water supports every aspect of daily life.
From the moment we wake up in the morning until we go to bed at night, water touches nearly everything we do. We depend on it for cooking, cleaning, healthcare, recreation, sanitation and countless other activities that are easy to overlook until they are unavailable.
Water infrastructure may be underground, but its impact touches every aspect of life above ground.
The future of West Virginia will not be determined solely by the challenges we face. It will be determined by how we respond to them.
If we want stronger communities, healthier families, safer neighborhoods and greater economic opportunity, we must continue investing in the infrastructure that makes those outcomes possible.
Few investments are more important than water.
