An Appalachian water crisis: How a local proposed project could increase the area’s water safety and improve public health

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a submitted story from Lindsay Wielonski. She is a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, studying journalism. She’s also pursuing a social media certificate and a theater minor. Previously, she has interned at Cincinnati CityBeat and the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce. After graduation, she hopes to work in journalism or arts administration.   

This piece has been edited for grammar, punctuation and style, as well as fact-checked by The New Political’s editorial staff.

Typically, well water users test their water about once per year. However, in Melissa Easterling’s case, rust-brown water that smelled like rotten eggs let her know that she needed her water tested immediately. In rural Appalachia, many share the constant struggle of something that people in major cities may take for granted: consistent access to safe drinking water.  

 “We use jugs for cooking and stuff,” Easterling explained in her southern-drawl accent. “And when we went to run it, it was just pure brown, like rust came out of it. We didn't drink it after that.” 

Acres of barren, fenced farmland framed Easterling as if she was the subject of a painting.  Just feet away from her, the well that sourced the brown water and awoke Easterling to the complexities of clean water access sat. 

A test of her family’s well water confirmed that not only was it contaminated arsenic and lead —two dangerous substances that can lead to a myriad of health problems — were among the contaminants. Although arsenic and lead are naturally occurring, Michelle Morrone, environmental health professor at Ohio University, said that consuming higher than recommended amounts can be hazardous. 

“It can lead to acute conditions: diarrhea, vomiting, things like that,” Morrone explained. “It can lead to chronic health conditions, depending on the contaminant. There could be chemicals that could lead to heart disease, cancer or kidney failure. Depending on the concentration of the chemical and the duration of your exposure, that's going to influence the health effects that come from anything that you ingest.”

100 years ago, McDowell County, West Virginia, was one of the wealthiest areas in the nation. Today, many in the county, like the Easterlings, do not have access to clean running water. Currently, Easterling and her family use a rainwater reservoir to collect drinking and bathing water. Sometimes, this requires waiting for a rainstorm before being able to carry out day-to-day activities. Thousands across Appalachia share the same struggle. 

Lack of access to clean drinking water is not a problem with just one cause or with an obvious solution. Old water infrastructure, failing septic tanks and fertilizer runoff, are all causes that can make water unsafe. Additionally, the remains of contraptions that once aided industrial growth pose a risk to the area’s water. Across Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky, an estimated 538,000 orphaned wells lie dormant as leftovers from the height of the oil and gas industry. Today, these wells present numerous significant health risks. Not only can they leak oil and brine – they can also contaminate groundwater with dangerous chemicals like arsenic and lead – the substances that were found in the Easterlings’ well. 

After receiving her well water test results, Easterling asked to be connected to the local public water supply. However, she found out that it was not going to be a simple process. Easterling lives outside of the radius that her local water company serves, so the company told her that due to financial constraints, they could not connect her to the public water supply.

“We've been pushing,” Easterling said solemnly. “We're still pushing to get the water brought in. We're having another meeting on May 11 to try to get everything started, but I ain’t got no hopes for it.”

Connection to water systems in rural areas can be expensive. The farther away someone lives from a public water supply company, the more expensive it is for them to be connected. Easterling said her house misses the cutoff by about a mile.

Laws about connection to public water supplies vary by state. In Ohio, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to pay for the line that connects their house to a water distribution system. To many who live in rural areas, cost is a major barrier to clean water access. 

“That can be really expensive, especially in rural areas, because the distribution system is going to go along a road,” Morrone said. “The farther back your house is from the road, the longer your line is that you're going to have to install and pay for.”

Part of the reason why unsafe water is so prevalent in Appalachia can be traced back to decades of unregulated resource extraction that occurred in the area. Regulations for resource extraction in Appalachia were not put into place until after decades of it had already occurred. Because of this, Appalachian residents are disproportionately affected by contaminants caused by the area’s many abandoned wells and mines. 

“Abandoned coal mines are disproportionately located in coal communities, which have suffered the most as the coal industry continues to decline,” Ben Hunkler, communications manager at the Ohio River Valley Institute, said. “There are five and a half million people in Appalachia who live within one mile of an abandoned mine land site.” 

Where responsibility lies remains in question, despite the risks that abandoned wells pose to water safety. States take inventory of wells and mines and try to tie them to their owners, but this can be difficult because there has not historically been a standard process in place for keeping track of them. 

“In addition to the documented wells that have been cataloged by the states, there are thousands more oil and gas wells and abandoned mine lands that are undocumented,” Hunkler said. “Another huge problem is just establishing a comprehensive inventory of all of the damage that needs to be cleaned up: where it is, how much of a cost, things like that.”

Although access to clean water is a widespread problem, local initiatives play an important role in improving water safety. Wayne National Forest, located in Nelsonville, recently proposed The Orphan Wells and Abandoned Mines Project, which would authorize mine safety closures, stream capture re-routes and orphan well plugging in Wayne National Forest. If approved, the project would increase water safety in Appalachia by cleaning the likely hundreds of mines and wells in the area that contribute to groundwater contamination. 

For people who use well water, like Easterling, projects like The Orphan Wells and Abandoned Mines Project would lessen groundwater contaminators, which would in turn decrease the number of wells in Appalachia with undrinkable water. 

Right now, the project is under analysis, so it is hard to say if it will be implemented or not. Dan Giannamore, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planner with Wayne National Forest, said that he hopes that the proposal will spark an outcome that is best for the environment. 

“We just always try to make an effort to work with and communicate with folks in the public that are interested in the project and you know, try and reach an outcome that's best for the land,” Giannamore said.

Photo provided by Dan Giannamore.