-
Brown water, corrosive truth: Engineers trace July 2025 crisis to mineral imbalance in river
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — For weeks in July 2025, brown water ran from taps across Martin County, leaving residents upset, frightened and distrustful of a system meant to sustain life. Faucets ran rust-colored. Laundry was ruined. Families questioned whether their water was safe even to bathe in. What they did not have
-
Martin County Water District asks PSC to end oversight
Opponents warn system remains fragile BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County Water District is asking the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) to close a long-running oversight case and lift monitoring requirements imposed more than six years ago, arguing that the utility has made significant financial and operational progress under outside management. The
-
Martin County Water declines rate hike despite revenue gap
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — On paper, the numbers point to a sharp water rate hike. In practice, Martin County water officials say they are charting a different course. The Martin County Water District filed its 2026 Revenue Requirement Report with the Kentucky Public Service Commission on Monday. The filing shows the district
-
Mountain Citizen wins Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity
BY AL CROSS A scrappy little newspaper that has fought for more than 30 years for clean water and open government in its Appalachian county is the winner of the 2025 Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity in rural journalism. The Mountain Citizen is a weekly paper serving the 11,000 people
-
EDA response raises new questions about asbestos in 78-year-old building
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Economic Development Authority’s response to an open records request raises new questions about whether adequate asbestos testing was performed before demolition of a structure in downtown Inez. The building at 21 East Main Street was built in 1947, an era when asbestos-containing materials were heavily
-
EDA awards demo project to contractor not licensed for asbestos abatement
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Economic Development Authority voted Oct. 8 to award a commercial building demolition project to a contractor who lacks asbestos certification, prompting concerns about compliance with state and federal law. The project involves tearing down the building at 21 East Main Street in Inez. The EDA
-
Bring a lighter: CJ Solar takes Harvest Fest main stage at 9 p.m.
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN On Saturday night in Inez, the headliner stepping onto Harvest Fest stage at 9 p.m. will be a songwriter who seems to carry a little Gulf humidity in his phrasing and a lot of lived-in patience in his melodies. CJ Solar has the kind of résumé that often reads louder
-
Corrosive water ‘root cause’ of brown water in Martin County, chairman says
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County Water Board Chairman Tim Thoma says recent widespread brown water in the county is a symptom of corrosive water dislodging mineral buildup inside aging pipes. “This is the root cause,” Thoma told the board in a July 22 meeting, citing the county’s negative Langelier Saturation Index
-
Manganese in Martin County water sample exceeds federal health advisory level
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A recent water sample collected from a residence on Newberry Lane in Inez exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s lifetime health advisory threshold for manganese, according to test results released July 22 by Alliance Water Resources, the management contractor for the Martin County Water District. The sample, collected
-
Martin County Water District sues Big Sandy ADD for $1M+ over failed water project
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Water District (MCWD) filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Big Sandy Area Development District (BSADD). The water district is seeking more than $1 million in damages over what it describes as years of mismanagement on a long-delayed infrastructure project. The complaint, filed in Martin Circuit
