Updates from WV Rivers Coalition
May 2025
Photo of the New River by Benny Becker.
As we close out May and welcome the summer months, we hope you and your loved ones had a safe and meaningful Memorial Day weekend. We honor those who served, and we recommit ourselves to building a future worthy of their sacrifice — one where everyone has access to clean, safe water.
June brings us many opportunities to celebrate and reflect. It’s Pride Month — a time to stand with our LGBTQ+ neighbors, especially trans youth who deserve to feel safe, seen, and supported right here in West Virginia — in our schools, churches, and communities. We honor Juneteenth and the enduring strength of Black communities, who have helped power and shape our state for generations. And we look forward to celebrating West Virginia Day, recognizing the beauty and resilience of this place we all call home. These reflections remind us of the values we all hold dear as West Virginians: family, faith, service, and looking out for each other.
At WV Rivers, we believe clean water is for all of us — from veterans living on VA benefits without access to safe drinking water to young people who wonder if they’ll have to leave these mountains to thrive. We all deserve safe water and healthy communities, no matter where we live or who we are.
The vision we share — a West Virginia where people can stay and live their lives for generations to come — will be built by the work we do today. Together, we can ensure that the waters flowing through our state carry life, not pollution. That our waters sustain communities, not drive them away.
This summer, let’s keep working together for clean water for all in the Mountain State.
With care,
All of us at WV Rivers
WV Rivers Showed Up Strong at the Recent Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Hearing in Charleston
Small waterfalls along a West Virginia creek.
Our Executive Director, Jennie Smith, and board member Paul Breuer, along with many community members and partner organizations, gave testimony about the need to protect West Virginia’s headwater streams and wetlands.
Together, Paul and Jennie painted a clear picture: Clean water isn’t a luxury — it’s a right. And it’s one West Virginia’s future cannot risk. Whether you’re rafting down the Gauley, turning on your tap in Richwood, or farming in the headwaters of Pocahontas County, what flows through our streams connects us all.
Paul, who moved to West Virginia 53 years ago, spent his life on the water — rafting, guiding, and caring for the whitewater rivers of the New and Gauley. He built his career in the state’s outdoor tourism industry and owned a handful of businesses reliant on clean West Virginia waters. He stated, “The Gauley River is one of the 10 top whitewater rivers in the world. We cannot destroy this great economic boost to West Virginia.”
Paul’s passion for clean water, however, runs deeper than recreation. Before moving to West Virginia, he worked for the Ohio EPA Environmental Division as an Investigator trained in water and air quality sampling. He recalled testing water with such high acidity it burned his fingers — a memory that drives his concern today. “The last thing we need today is to go backwards.”
He pointed to the South Fork of the Cherry River near Richwood, where drinking water is in danger right now.
“The more violent storms and flooding we are having cause pollutants from intermittent streams and wetlands to enter our major streams and rivers,” Paul explained. “It defies scientific logic to only regulate pollutors who discharge directly into large waterways when any pollutant on any land will eventually find its way to large streams.”
Paul stated plainly, “These proposed regulation changes are a loophole for industry.”
Jennie closed, “For the health and safety of West Virginians and those who depend on their water downstream, we urge adoption of a comprehensive, science-based WOTUS definition that includes headwater streams, isolated wetlands, and groundwater connectivity consistent with EPA guidance and scientific research.”
Now is the time to speak out. We need stronger protections, not fewer.
Standing Up for Clean Water in Wyoming County
Photo of Senior Scientist Than Hitt talking to community members at a Community Meeting in Wyoming County, WV.
This Memorial Day weekend, members of our team traveled to Wyoming County, WV, to take part in a powerful community gathering hosted by Blue Jay Rising / Blue Feather Initiative and longtime local advocate Richard Altizer.
Over 100 community members came together — united by deep concern for the safety of their tap water and local streams, and a shared love for their neighbors and home. Folks asked tough, necessary questions, shared their lived experiences, and affirmed what we know to be true: everyone deserves clean water.
WV Rivers was honored to support the event by distributing nine conductivity meters and training new volunteer water quality monitors, who will now help regularly collect data to better understand what’s happening in streams throughout the region.
Danny Delanty for WOAY Newswatch covered the story. You can watch it here.
This is what community looks like — rooted, resilient, and full of heart.
Huge thanks to Blue Jay Rising / Blue Feather Initiative, one of our mini-grant recipients, for bringing people together in such a meaningful way. (More on our mini-grants below.)
Apply by June 15: WV Rivers Mini-Grant Program
Students from the Boone Career and Technical Center (a mini-grant recipient) worked a three-mile radius in a land cleanup of Danville, Foster, Madison, Newport, and Lick Creek.
Our Community Action Mini-Grant Program is open until June 15! If you’re building power for clean water and healthy environments in your community, we want to support you.
Since 2019, we’ve awarded $78,000 to 46 projects — from water testing and art projects to policy summits and youth engagement. Apply today and let us know what you’re advocating for locally.
To date, our mini-grants have supported:
- Helped Save Coonskin Park stop a destructive runway expansion at Yeager Airport
- Powered marches for justice in Minden, policy summits on chemical safety, and Black Policy Day at the Capitol
- Funded PFAS testing and air monitoring in impacted communities from the Eastern Panhandle to Wyoming County
- Supported pipeline resistance, coal mine monitoring, and advocacy for safe drinking water
- Enabled youth-led engagement at E-Day, community art like murals and mapping, and clean-ups on the Little Coal and Town Run
- Boosted rain barrel workshops, leadership retreats, and climate education through faith-based outreach
- Backed efforts to oppose harmful development, from the Kanawha Forest to the Corridor H highway
You can learn more here: wvrivers.org/minigrant
🎉 Save the Date: WV Rivers’ 35th Anniversary Celebration
We hope you can join us! Photo by Jay Young.
For 35 years, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition has stood at the forefront of clean water advocacy — uniting communities, protecting public lands, and working so that every West Virginian has access to clean, safe water. From our headwaters to every hill and holler downstream, your support has helped transform grassroots energy into lasting environmental change.
Now, it’s time to celebrate what we’ve accomplished — and look boldly to the future.
To mark this milestone, we are planning a very special community event that will feature guest speakers (including some former mini-grant recipients), live music, local food, and a shared commitment to clean water for all.
Location: The Confluence Resort, Hico, WV
Date & time: Friday, September 12, 2025, from 4:00 – 9:00 PM
Tickets: Free & open to the public (RSVP encouraged)
Come reconnect with fellow river lovers, meet our team, and see firsthand the impact you’ve made possible.
Freshwater First Friday at Discovery Junction in Marlinton!
Come on out to Discovery Junction in Marlinton, WV for an evening of fun and conservation!
Join WV Rivers and friends for a fun-filled evening at Discovery Junction in Marlinton, WV, as part of the town’s First Friday celebration!
🎶 Enjoy live music by Ryan Brandenburg & the Carlisle Trash Pile
🌽 Shop local at the farmers market
💦 Let the kids play at the splash pad
🎯 Explore family-friendly conservation activities, win prizes, and learn how you can help protect the rivers and streams we all love!
You’ll also get the chance to connect with local conservation leaders and explore the work happening across our region with our incredible partners: U.S. Forest Service, Mon Forest Towns, Greenbrier River Watershed Association, Knapp’s Creek Trout Lodge, Christians for the Mountains, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, WV Department of Environmental Protection, and more!
Location: Discovery Junction, Marlinton, WV
Date & time: Friday, June 6, starting at 5:00 PM
This event is made possible in part by the Town of Marlinton, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and the Pocahontas County Drama, Fairs and Festivals Committee.
Come for the music, stay for the mission — because clean water is worth celebrating!
View the Photo Exhibit of “Energy in Our Community”
Earlier this year, the Morris Creek Watershed Association got together to review the photos taken for the “Energy in Our Community” photo project.
Energy investments don’t happen in a vacuum — they’re shaped by local economic, political, and cultural realities. But too often, community priorities are left out of the conversation. This project explores how people in Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Massachusetts imagine the future of energy in their communities. In West Virginia, the project worked alongside WV Rivers Coalition, and local groups in Montgomery, Monroe and Summers counties, and Williamson to better understand their visions.
Using the participatory research method known as Photovoice, participants took photographs in response to a question: What are the challenges with the energy system in your community, and what are your visions for the future, especially given the major federal investments in the energy system? Participants then shared their photos in focus groups. The photos and focus group discussions were used to co-create these exhibits, sharing each community’s perspectives on energy. These exhibits present community perspectives and are designed to spark broader discussions about the future of local energy in these places.
Two communities, Montgomery and Lewisburg, will host exhibitions in June featuring the photographs taken for this project. An exhibit for Williamson will be scheduled for later this year. We hope to see you there!
Lewisburg “Energy in Our Community”
June 12, 2025, 4:30 – 6:30 PM
at Greenbrier Valley Visitors Center
(200 West Washington Street)
Montgomery’s “Energy in Our Community”
June 13, 2025, from 5:00 – 8:00 PM
at Gallery on Fourth
(414 4th Avenue)
Legal Challenge Filed Over Carbon Storage Wells in WV
Photo Credit: Ward 6 Fire Protection District via New Orleans Public Radio News.
WV Rivers joined West Virginia Surface Owners Rights Organization, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, and Sierra Club in a federal legal challenge against the EPA’s decision to grant West Virginia authority over Class VI underground injection wells for carbon storage.
We’re deeply concerned that the state agency, which is underfunded and understaffed, cannot provide adequate oversight — risking our drinking water and community health.
Deputy Director Autumn Crowe stated, “Adequate oversight of carbon injection is critical to protect the health of West Virginians. Our communities are already overburdened by pollution, and the addition of another source of a potentially deadly gas puts our communities at even greater risk. We must ensure that we are prioritizing the health and safety of residents in close proximity to the proposed injection sites.”
Stay tuned as this case unfolds — and thank you for backing our watchdog work.
Join Us in Huntington: Public Info Session on the Ohio River Restoration Plan
The mighty Ohio River.
You might recall that West Virginia Rivers Coalition worked with partners across the Ohio River Basin — including the National Wildlife Federation and the Ohio River Basin Alliance (ORBA) — to host community listening sessions that gathered input from people like you. These conversations helped define shared priorities for restoring and protecting the waters that flow through our communities.
Those priorities shaped the Ohio River Restoration Plan, which was presented to Congress and introduced in the House of Representatives in December 2024.
Now, we’re coming back to share where things stand — and to hear from you again. While details are still being confirmed, we hope you will join us in Huntington this summer for an update on the plan’s progress and next steps, and help ensure that the future of the Ohio River reflects the voices of West Virginians.
This is an opportunity to learn how this federal investment can support clean water, environmental justice, and economic renewal for communities along the Ohio River. You’ll hear from experts, share your perspective, and learn how to get involved.
Together, we can ensure the plan reflects the needs of West Virginians.
We look forward to seeing you there. Please sign up for Our Ohio River email list to learn more.
Action Alert: Federal Funding Cuts Threaten WV Communities
Take action with WV Rivers Coalition today!
Federal programs that keep our water clean and our communities safe are on the chopping block.
From safe drinking water to PFAS response, public health, and disaster recovery, West Virginians are already feeling the impacts of frozen and delayed federal funds.
WV Rivers has been affected, too — a critical federal grant awarded to WVDEP that we were partners on to help develop PFAS Action Plans was canceled.
You’ll be directed to the correct letter based on your location. It only takes 2 minutes.
We’re Growing Our Stream of Support
This month, 7 new folks joined as Paddling Partners, our monthly giving community powering clean water advocacy across West Virginia. That brings us to 32 monthly supporters — thank you! We’re setting a goal to reach 40 by the end of the month. Just 8 more to go! Will you help us get there?
👉 Become a Paddling Partner today and keep the current flowing for clean water.
