‘Unacceptable’: EPA head talks water issues, hope in WVa

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Associated Press

WELCH, W.Va. (AP) — The head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency has visited a West Virginia county where some residents recently got access to clean water after years of having to boil it before drinking. EPA Administrator Michael Regan spoke with community members in McDowell County about drinking water and wastewater inequity. Regan’s Journey to Justice tour focuses on historically disadvantaged communities. Residents in the small, majority-Black community of Keystone had to boil their water for a decade until finally getting hooked up to a new water system about a year ago. A coal company had built the original system, but no on took over when it left and the lines deteriorated.