By Mannix Porterfield
A $700,000 grant furnished by the Appalachian Regional Commission adds a key component in Mount Hope’s long-running effort to provide sewage service to residents in two outlying areas.
All that remains, from a money standpoint, is a $250,000 commitment from the town itself in matching funds to upgrade its water treatment facility to accommodate the additional users.
“It’s wonderful news that the ARC has approved this grant,” Mayor Michael Martin said of the ARC grant announced Wednesday by Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va.
Martin said the grant allows his town to push on with a project that was envisioned initially two decades ago.
For five of the six years he has served as Mount Hope’s mayor, the project has been a key one in his administration.
Five miles of sewer line and upgrades to the treatment plant are included in the project, intended to bring 145 homes and six businesses in Fayette and Raleigh counties online.
“I commend the ARC once again for their investment in the infrastructure of southern West Virginia,” Rahall said.
“These funds will help support improvements necessary to the protection of public health and to our whitewater industry. It is an investment that will pay for itself many times over.”
No wastewater treatment facilities are available to homes and businesses in Kilsyth and Price Hill, or they depend on septic systems, some of which are ineffective, the 3rd District congressman said.
Rahall said this situation leads to raw sewage spilling into Dunloup Creek, and that, in turn, finds its way into the New River Gorge downstream of a major whitewater entry point.
While Mount Hope’s sewage treatment plant is capable of adding new customers, it requires improvements to provide enough treatment and remain in compliance with water quality standards, Rahall said.
Rahall said the Army Corps of Engineers will put up $1.067 million while the state has pledged $1.825 million of the total project cost of $3.842 million.
Martin said the next step is to gain certification by the Public Service Commission.
“They have to put their blessing on the project,” the mayor said. “Essentially, they have to know from all the facts and figures in front of them that we have the ability to pay for it.”
Just when actual work will begin is unknown, but residents will not have veto power in deciding whether to hook on to the system, the mayor said.
A portion of Raleigh County is included in the project since some homes and a business are located beyond the Fayette County line, the mayor noted.
“As soon as you pass the old County Line (a tavern), you pass the Raleigh County line,” he said.
“We’re over in the bottom, in Price Hill. Running up that bottom, you go easily half a mile into Raleigh County.”
— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com
