-
Brown water: Judge calls on PSC to rescind order requiring outside management of Martin County Water District
County fast-tracks weed-cutting BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty is calling on the Kentucky Public Service Commission to rescind its order requiring outside management of the Martin County Water District. He cited operational failures that have led to widespread brown-colored water and growing public frustration. In the same meeting
-
$24M rejection: Martin County Water District threatens legal action
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Water District is weighing legal action against the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority and Big Sandy Area Development District, claiming the flawed scoring of the county’s water and sewer project applications cost one of Kentucky’s most distressed districts $24 million in critical funding. The issue centers on
-
Kentucky Infrastructure Authority Board to convene June 5
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) Board of Directors will hold its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, June 5, at its office located at 100 Airport Road, Third Floor, in Frankfort. Board chair Matt Sawyers will convene the meeting at 1 p.m. ET. For those who would like to watch remotely there is a YouTube
-
Mural to rise in Inez: Turning water crisis into cultural call to action
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The side of a building in downtown Inez will bloom with color and meaning during this year’s Appalachian Artist Festival. A mural—the city’s first—will elevate clean water from a public utility issue to a moral and cultural imperative. The image is striking: A woman draped in flowing white
-
Fear lingers in the shadows of overflowing water tank
Inez resident says a rusted hilltop storage tank could trigger another disaster like the mudslide that destroyed his parents’ home. BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — On top of the hill above Okey Mills Jr.’s home on Turkey Creek Mountain, a rusted steel water tank leaks and overflows, sending water down the slope to
-
Martin County ‘cheated’ out of water and wastewater funding
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — When House Joint Resolution 30 came up for a vote in the state Legislature on Feb. 27, Representative Bobby McCool voted “no,” citing the bill’s failure to allocate funding to Martin County despite its long-standing water and wastewater issues. McCool congratulated the water and wastewater recipients listed in
-
Martin County Water District announces meter replacement project
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Water District (MCWD) has announced a $2 million water meter replacement project set to begin Jan. 27. According to a customer alert issued Monday, the initiative is funded through a grant allocated by the Kentucky General Assembly. MCWD expects the project to take approximately four
-
Everybody deserves access to good water
Simply stated, water is life. We need good potable water to survive, regardless of where we live. Whether it is in a rural country setting or a city, small or large, water is an essential element for our existence. Water is vital for us all and we all deserve it. Martin County citizens have had
-
Pump rental drains Martin County Water District again
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County Water District hopes to resolve an issue that has become an ongoing financial drain on its resources and patience. The district is pressing for reimbursement of the steep costs of renting and fueling a raw water intake pump—expenses MCWD says are tied to Xylem Water Solution’s
-
Past harm is not a free ticket to future exploitation
Martin County’s past does not excuse future harm of any kind. We have heard simplistic statements from regulators, elected officials and developers (in public hearings and otherwise) such as, “Anything (nuisance) wouldn’t be as [bad] as coal mining.” Those words come from a place of ignorance and condescension. Let us explain. When regulators and officials
