Berkeley County will soon receive a new water treatment plant, following a $3 million investment from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The new plant will service the unincorporated community of Bunker Hill. The current treatment plant there is 65 years old.
The Berkeley County Public Service Water District, which oversees the plant, has gained 4,000 new users in the last four years.
With West Virginia’s water infrastructure facing long-running issues tied to age and decreased funding, state officials have invested in water system upgrades for local communities in recent years.
This year alone, tens of millions of dollars have gone toward water projects across the state. The latest round of funding follows a federal spending request from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
In a press release Tuesday, Capito said she hoped the project would support population growth in the Eastern Panhandle county.
“As communities in Berkeley County continue to grow and develop, the need for additional clean water infrastructure is critical,” she said. “This funding is a step in the process of directing the resources that these communities need to provide clean water to the growing number of residents and businesses in the area.”