SSP - Elaine Speaking Out on Slurry’s Evils

In October, the West Virginia Council of Churches met to consider what topics it will focus on during the 2007 Legislative Session. Elaine Roberts was one of the community members who traveled to Charleston to speak with Council representatives.

Elaine lives in Merrimac, Mingo County. These are her thoughts:

By going to Charleston I thought: Was I going to impress anyone with my words?

After getting there, sitting down and listening, it was my turn to talk. Standing before the Council of Churches, I explained about the illnesses and the medical attention needed for the people of Lick Creek, Rawl, Merrimac and Sprigg. As they passed a glass of water that I had brought from my well, they couldn’t believe the smell.

I explained how my granddaughter had almost died from this. This water causes skin rashes, kidney stones, liver disease, cancer and other disorders. I explained about the contents of my water, the sulfur, chemicals, bacteria, sodium, and how all this was on our skin, on our clothes and in our house. How no amount of deodorant perfumes would cover up the smell on our skin. Nothing would freshen the carpets or our clothes. Nothing works. This water has destroyed our heat pump, hot water tanks, water pipes, water softeners…all this has cost more money than we have.

All these contaminants are in our water. This all comes down to the dumping of coal slurry, sludge and chemicals back into old mines. It runs into our well water, rivers, and streams. I ask them to take this before the legislature and have investigations – not one but many.

After hearing the people before me talk and then what I had said I thought everyone had the same cause in mind. We were all fighting for the same thing! Good clean water, something we had before the injections destroyed it. We could not have got this far without the help of friends like OVEC.