CHARELSTION, W.Va. – HB 2233 was recently passed by the House of Delegates; it would promote the reclassification of certain waterways to allow companies to have more options to dispose of their waste.
Currently a majority of the mountain state’s water ways are considered drinking water, which makes them fall under higher scrutiny for pollution levels.
This bill would investigate waterways to see if all that fall under that classification are being used for drinking water. The text provides some examples as to what could reclassify some waterways including “submitted documentation demonstrating surface waters are without the capacity or are of limited capacity to reliably and continually support the public water supply use”.
Waterways that are not proven to be used as drinking water or can be used as drinking water but aren’t by nearby residents are also subject to reclassification.
The bill says the protection of downstream uses is also being considered when reclassifying.
Before a waterway is reclassified there will be a 45 day public comment and public hearing window, then the application must be submitted to the EPA for approval.
The bill also specifically says the Ohio River main stem would be allowed to have up to 2000 /100 ml of of fecal coliform during the “the non-recreational season”. The usual max for a waterway that is used for drinking or for recreation is a maximum of 400/100 ml in West Virginia.
The idea of me voting for any bill that could lead to a decrease in water quality standards flies in the face of the reality that many of the people I represent deal with on a daily basis when it comes to water quality in their homes, at their jobs, or on their own personal property.
Delegate Elliot Pritt (R-Fayette) shared this statement on social media, explaining why he voted against the bill:
“I voted no on HB 2233 because the district I represent has three failing Public Service Districts that cannot provide reliable clean water or sewer service in my district of Fayette County. I have the largest EPA superfund clean-up site in the whole state in my district in Minden that has poisoned people and water in that area. And I have the state’s largest prison—Mt. Olive Correctional Complex—still discharging all of its raw sewage straight into Smither’s Creek and into the Kanawha River since August of 2022. I also have a very large part of the New River Gorge National Park and several Whitewater Rafting companies that rely on the water in our rivers being clean in order to provide a positive tourism experience for people visiting our state and Fayette County.
The idea of me voting for any bill that could lead to a decrease in water quality standards flies in the face of the reality that many of the people I represent deal with on a daily basis when it comes to water quality in their homes, at their jobs, or on their own personal property.
I cannot vote for something that could potentially make their situation worse. Not only are the optics of it bad for me as a representative of Fayette County, the reality of it is bad as well. I had to vote ‘no’.”
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