Manchin Announces $495K for McDowell County Wastewater Infrastructure Upgrades

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the DigDeep Right to Water Project will receive $495,840 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in McDowell County. This federal funding is one of the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests Senator Manchin secured on behalf of West Virginia through the Fiscal Year 2022 funding bill.

“I’m proud to have secured direct funding for the DigDeep Right to Water project that will support their work to improve wastewater infrastructure in McDowell County,” said Senator Manchin. “This initiative will install sanitary septic and sewage service in 35 households, which will help protect the quality of the county’s water sources and promote community health. Upgrades to essential water infrastructure in McDowell County are long-overdue. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for funding through Congressionally Directed Spending and other programs to ensure our rural communities across the Mountain State have the resources they need to thrive.”

The funding announced today will be used to design and install residential septic systems in McDowell County. Currently, municipal sewage lines cannot reach many rural homes and the appropriate septic systems are often cost prohibitive. The project will provide septic and sewage service to 35 homes housing 80 people. Another 17,000 residents of McDowell County will benefit from these efforts to eliminate straight-piping of raw sewage into the community’s rivers, streams and other waterways.

The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provides an opportunity for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities and directly support West Virginians. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin works to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated to priorities that benefit all West Virginians, boost economic growth and support the needs of communities across the Mountain State while remaining fiscally responsible.