Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Clean drinking water is hard to come by in some West Virginia homes, especially in the southern coalfields.
In Charleston, lawmakers discussed the state's water issues during the spring legislative session - but much of it was to no avail.
Two house bills - the West Virginia Clean Water Act and the Southern West Virginia Clean Water Fund, each failed to reach the finish line.
"Ultimately there's two elements at play. One of those is funding overall. Identifying not just the amount of funding that should go toward these issues, but what specific projects they should go toward," Del. Tristan Leavitt, R-Kanawha said.
Leavitt believes it would be better to zero in on water treatment plants and failing water utilities.
"Some of these other bills didn't have that same focus in a targeted way," Leavitt said.
While a narrow focus on problems may be favorable for some lawmakers, Del. Clay Riley, R-Harrison, believes focusing on just a few counties may have caused the legislation to stall.
"The challenge comes in sometimes when you regulate it to a specific region and say only nine counties are eligible to water," Riley said. "How do I tell someone in Ritchie County, which is even outside of my district, that your well is contaminated with arsenic, and you don't have the opportunity to pursue funds? The thought process I think by the legislature was, 'let's give additional money so all counties in all of West Virginia can have access to clean water.'"
On the Senate side, Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, believes feels his body would've been receptive to the House's Clean Water Act, had it crossed the finish line. He doesn't believe the senate prioritized clean drinking water as much as the House did last session.
"I haven't seen water issues, clean water issues in the southern counties raised as a priority in the legislation we've taken up. It doesn't mean it won't be coming up this session, but I haven't seen it in the past. There are a lot of priorities, and this hasn't been at the top of the list," Woelfel said. "We've sure talked about clean water, and there are other issues. Last session we lowered water quality standards, and I got up on the senate floor and raised hell about that, voted against that."
Woelfel is referring to Senate Bill 641, a bill that loosens the regulations on storage tanks near drinking water. It passed and went into effect in June.
Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, also voted against it.
"If I'm going to make an error, I want to make an error on inspecting too many and double-checking that we don't have a problem with our water supply," Oliverio said. "Our legislature chose to go a different direction on that."
Oliverio supported a resolution which calls on federal lawmakers to fund the Ohio River Basin, a watershed that holds drinking water for hundreds of thousands of West Virginians.
In the 2027 state budget, $30 million is directed to the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council for water and sewer improvements. The governor's office says this will help modernize aging infrastructure and expand access to reliable water and wastewater systems.
In the meantime, the state's infrastructure continues to show its age.
"It's a heavy lift," Woelfel said. "Those folks are suffering. They're not exaggerating when they hold up water glasses that are brown."
FULL STORY: wchstv.com/news/local/wva-lawmakers-reflect-on-lack-of-clean-water-legislation-in-recent-session
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Clean drinking water is hard to come by in some West Virginia homes, especially in the southern coalfields.
In Charleston, lawmakers discussed the state's water issues during the spring legislative session - but much of it was to no avail.
Two house bills - the West Virginia Clean Water Act and the Southern West Virginia Clean Water Fund, each failed to reach the finish line.
"Ultimately there's two elements at play. One of those is funding overall. Identifying not just the amount of funding that should go toward these issues, but what specific projects they should go toward," Del. Tristan Leavitt, R-Kanawha said.
Leavitt believes it would be better to zero in on water treatment plants and failing water utilities.
"Some of these other bills didn't have that same focus in a targeted way," Leavitt said.
While a narrow focus on problems may be favorable for some lawmakers, Del. Clay Riley, R-Harrison, believes focusing on just a few counties may have caused the legislation to stall.
"The challenge comes in sometimes when you regulate it to a specific region and say only nine counties are eligible to water," Riley said. "How do I tell someone in Ritchie County, which is even outside of my district, that your well is contaminated with arsenic, and you don't have the opportunity to pursue funds? The thought process I think by the legislature was, 'let's give additional money so all counties in all of West Virginia can have access to clean water.'"
On the Senate side, Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, believes feels his body would've been receptive to the House's Clean Water Act, had it crossed the finish line. He doesn't believe the senate prioritized clean drinking water as much as the House did last session.
"I haven't seen water issues, clean water issues in the southern counties raised as a priority in the legislation we've taken up. It doesn't mean it won't be coming up this session, but I haven't seen it in the past. There are a lot of priorities, and this hasn't been at the top of the list," Woelfel said. "We've sure talked about clean water, and there are other issues. Last session we lowered water quality standards, and I got up on the senate floor and raised hell about that, voted against that."
Woelfel is referring to Senate Bill 641, a bill that loosens the regulations on storage tanks near drinking water. It passed and went into effect in June.
Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, also voted against it.
"If I'm going to make an error, I want to make an error on inspecting too many and double-checking that we don't have a problem with our water supply," Oliverio said. "Our legislature chose to go a different direction on that."
Oliverio supported a resolution which calls on federal lawmakers to fund the Ohio River Basin, a watershed that holds drinking water for hundreds of thousands of West Virginians.
In the 2027 state budget, $30 million is directed to the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council for water and sewer improvements. The governor's office says this will help modernize aging infrastructure and expand access to reliable water and wastewater systems.
In the meantime, the state's infrastructure continues to show its age.
"It's a heavy lift," Woelfel said. "Those folks are suffering. They're not exaggerating when they hold up water glasses that are brown."
FULL STORY: wchstv.com/news/local/wva-lawmakers-reflect-on-lack-of-clean-water-legislation-in-recent-session
_________________________________________
Follow WCHS on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/eyewitnessnewscharleston
Twitter: twitter.com/wchs8fox11
Instagram: instagram.com/wchs8fox11
For the latest local and national news, visit our website: wchstv.com
Sign up for our newsletter: wchstv.com/sign-up
