Miller seeks $750,000 to fix Welch sewer overflow in McDowell County

A $750,000 federal request aimed at Welch would target one of McDowell County’s most basic utility failures, a combined sewer overflow that can push stormwater and sewage through the same pipe when heavy flows overwhelm the system. Carol Miller said the project would help Welch comply with the Clean Water Act and improve daily conditions for 868 residential and commercial customers.

Miller’s May 7 release said she has secured $59,302,487 for southern West Virginia through Community Project Funding since fiscal 2022. Of that total, $23,920,840 was tied to water and sewer projects, and $2,995,840 was appropriated to McDowell County. The Welch request was one piece of that larger total, but it was the one most directly tied to a neighborhood-level problem that residents can see in backed-up drains, polluted runoff, and aging lines.

West Virginia environmental officials describe combined sewer systems as pipes that carry rainwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial wastewater together. When capacity is exceeded, untreated wastewater can flow into nearby waters. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says about 40 million people in 900 communities nationwide live in areas with combined sewer overflows, including about 390,000 people in 58 West Virginia communities. In Welch, that makes the repair more than a plumbing fix. It is an environmental and public-health test for a county that has spent years trying to stabilize basic services.

McDowell County has already seen what sewer work can change. In June 2023, federal officials joined county leaders in Welch for a ribbon cutting on the first phase of the Coalwood Wastewater project, which brought public sewer service to 72 homes for the first time. The $3.8 million project combined a $1.2 million loan with principal forgiveness, $1.5 million in Community Development Block Grant money and a $1.3 million state grant. Federal case materials said later phases were expected to reach 137 more residences and reduce sewage discharges and failing septic tanks.

The Welch request also came after Governor Patrick Morrisey announced $9.5 million in abandoned mine land economic revitalization grants for five water and sewer projects in McDowell and Mingo counties on Feb. 13, including $2.75 million for a sewer project in Davy to build that town’s first centralized wastewater system. Together, those moves show McDowell County’s water and sewer crisis is still being handled project by project, with federal and state officials trying to turn overdue infrastructure work into visible service on the ground.