PIEDMONT, W.Va. — The town of Piedmont has received federal funds for the construction of a new water line.
According to a press release, U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Rep. David McKinley and Gov. Jim Justice announced the receipt of $1.58 million from the Economic Development Administration for the project.
“This is an efficient and cost-effective solution for ensuring that supply of water to the residents and businesses of Piedmont is not disrupted,” McKinley said in the release. “Project leaders, representing the Piedmont Town Council, the Regional Planning commission and the project engineers have worked diligently to prevent a true emergency from developing.”
Piedmont’s water supply was deeply affected by the June 2019 closure of the Verso Corp.’s Luke paper mill. The mill provided raw water for the town, which the town would then process in its own filtration facility. While a water line extending to the nearby Savage River Dam exists, it’s in such poor condition that it was deemed unusable and shut down several years prior.
“Piedmont and the surrounding region have been devastated by the loss of the Verso Mill,” Manchin said in the release. “This funding is a small measure to help alleviate some of the stress caused by this loss. The city of Piedmont has gone without clean water for too long and every West Virginian deserves to have access to clean water.”
Terry Lively, the executive director of the Region 8 Planning and Development Council, has been closely involved with the process of finding the town a replacement for raw water. Lively said that Piedmont residents had suffered a big setback when the mill closed, leading them to “basically losing their water source when it came to the mill.”
The funds, he said, are a step in the right direction.
“It’s a big step,” Lively said. “The West Virginia delegation really stepped up to help out. It’s actually a little bit more money than we even asked for, and it will allow the town to provide clean water to citizens, which is one of the most important things a town can do.”
Lively estimated that the total cost of replacing Piedmont’s water supply will end up around $3 million.
The council has been working closely with the town to identify an alternative since the mill’s closure, Lively said, but they have not yet devised a final plan. The “strongest and most efficient avenue,” he said, would likely be for the town to connect to nearby Westernport’s water supply, “but in the end that’s up to the town.” Discussions are ongoing, he said.
“Luckily funding is starting to show up because if that doesn’t show it’s not even worth talking about,” Lively added.
“This is extremely beneficial to the Town of Piedmont,” Mineral County Commission President Roger Leatherman said via email. “It has been a long, difficult road to reach this point. The Mineral County Commission is grateful that Piedmont will continue to have critical access to clean, safe drinking water thanks to the availability of these funds.”