CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jan. 9, 2014 was a day thousands of West Virginians will never forget. Several residents like Donna Willis still don’t drink the tap water.
“I don’t drink and have never drank West Virginia’s water. It tastes like metal to me. It tastes like chemicals,” Willis, of Institute, told MetroNews following a listening session hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Charleston.
The federal EPA was at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Headquarters Wednesday night to hear from residents impacted by the 2014 Freedom Industries chemical spill on the Elk River that resulted in the contamination of drinking water for more than 300,000 residents in nine West Virginia counties.
“The fact that we’re here almost three years later, still talking about the aftermath, the lessons we’ve learned, what kind of improvements need to be made, show you that it’s not over and people feel at risk and people still don’t trust their water,” said Angie Rosser, executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Rosser put blame on the federal government for not protecting citizens. She said she’s encouraging the EPA to “fill the gap” and come out with a strong regulatory scheme that instills public confidence that the government is adequately protecting water supplies.
“Maybe the federal government can come in and do its job, so that we’re not so vulnerable to bad actors and negligence that put us all at risk,” Rosser said.
She said she often thinks about future generations not being able to trust the water.
“We want to have that trust restored. We need to,” she said. “We can’t afford to keep buying this bottled water.”
Willis made sure to look directly at EPA officials when she addressed the problems she’s faced because of the chemical spill.
“This is not only chemical valley. This is chemical hell!” Willis said. “And no one cares!”
Stacey Yonce, a chemical engineer with the federal EPA, said it’s particularly challenging to come into a state like West Virginia that strongly opposes their regulations in connection with the coal industry, but she said she felt the community supported their efforts to hear their stories about the leak.
“Sometimes people want us there and sometimes people don’t and we just have to be mindful that we’re there to protect the environment and public health for everyone and take all considerations into account,” Yonce said.
Willis said she believes the EPA heard what they had to say.
“I think they understand that this is a serious situation, if no other state but in West Virginia,” she said.
The EPA will continue to gather public input and plans to propose a rule by June 2018.