Water brought to Pike County families
Members of KFTC and Appalachian Voices arranged for the delivery of 30,000 bottles of Keeper Springs drinking water for 13 Pike County families whose water has become dangerous to drink as a result of nearby mining.
Residents say their well water flows black and orange sometimes and other times burns their skin. Earlier this year a well became contaminated with so much methane gas that it caught on fire. Another family says their daughter's hair is falling out and their son has been vomiting, both they believe connected to their water.
They reported the problem to local and state government officials and the coal company in May. And WYMT, the regional TV station out of Hazard, ran a story about the burning well. But nothing happened until KFTC member Ted Withrow learned about the situation, contacted the families and agreed to help.
"Based on my direct, first hand experience with contamination of water by coal operations, I am deeply worried about the safety of the drinking water of these families,†said Withrow the former Big Sandy River basin coordinator for the Kentucky Division of Water. "I just had to take the bull by the horns and move beyond the inaction by the coal company and government to get something done.â€
He contacted Donna Lisenby, the director of water programs for Appalachian Voices and asked for help testing the well water for contamination. Lisenby also agreed to arrange for a delivery of water to the families through a partnership with Keeper Springs. Chris Bartle, the president of Keeper Springs was contacted and he arranged for the donation of water.
The water was delivered on Thursday.
Now that the story is in the news spotlight, local officials and state mining inspectors are interested in helping. The coal company, a subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners, has been ordered to provide replacement water supplies for the families most affected. But the state has not concluded that all 13 families have been damaged by the mining.
Below is some video of the water delivery. Links to two good media reports of the situation are:
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