海角大神

T.J. Fannin, sitting on his porch as the sun sets, speaks fondly of the 27 years he spent working in nearby coal mines. But despite the hard labor that fueled a coal boom and sent millions of dollars into Kentucky鈥檚 coffers, he says he and his neighbors lack a basic amenity: clean tap water.聽

鈥淸O]n the TV you see someone go to the faucet and get a drink of water, and it just makes me mad cause, you know, we can鈥檛 do that,鈥� says Mr. Fannin, who buys two or three 24-packs of bottled water a month for drinking and cooking. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an odor to the water鈥�. It鈥檚 just like stagnant water [that] comes out of the bottom of a pool.鈥�

It鈥檚 no secret that the聽decline of coal has hit the mountain spine of Appalachia hard. But it's less well known that an amenity of life most Americans take for granted isn鈥檛 a given, more than 50 years after Lyndon B. Johnson launched his 鈥渨ar on poverty鈥� here in Martin County, Ky.

And what really gets Fannin鈥檚 goat, he says, is that residents here face far higher water bills than in nearby counties. This, despite frequent warnings that the local water has exceeded Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits for certain chemicals.

鈥淲e should have a top-notch water system, septic system, schools, roads,鈥� given all the proceeds from coal mining over the years, says the former miner. 鈥淲e got this 4-lane [highway] down here and that鈥檚 basically all we got.鈥澛�

In a place where political distrust runs high and funds are scarce, little has been done to improve the county鈥檚 water quality or infrastructure, as reported by the Ohio Valley Resource's Benny Becker in January.

Local officials argue that the water issue has been blown out of proportion by a handful of outspoken residents, whose activism sends the water district jumping through bureaucratic hoops instead of fixing a creaking system. For the rest of the community,聽relying solely on bottled water is聽seen as just a way of life, not a reason to protest.

Two students hanging out in the high school parking lot say their parents have always had a family rule against drinking from the tap. Becky, a grocery cashier in nearby Warfield, says she hasn鈥檛 consumed the county鈥檚 water since 1999. Neither a hardware-store owner nor a retired butcher can remember the last time they drank from the tap.

鈥淭here is a fundamental breakdown in the expectation of democracy in places like Appalachia,鈥� says Alexander Gibson, director of Appalshop, a media organization in Whitesburg, Ky. 鈥淭hey have observed that a complaint to the government disappears like the morning fog.鈥�

Exceeded EPA limits repeatedly since 2005

In the bowels of the Martin County Water District offices, Joe Hammond sits in front of an Excel sheet, a map of the county鈥檚 water lines taped on the wall above him.聽

Piles of paper teeter beside his elbows, while packs of bottled water are stacked next to the filing cabinets. He says the girls in the office drink that, not him. As far as he鈥檚 concerned, the local water is fine.聽

鈥淚 raised two聽fine young聽children with that聽water,鈥� says Mr. Hammond, the supervisor of the water district.聽

But Lee Mueller, who was also born here, became concerned about the water when he moved back in the 1980s.

鈥淚 had written stories about it for years,鈥� says Mr. Mueller, who served as the Lexington-Herald Leader鈥檚 eastern Kentucky bureau chief for three decades. He blames the water quality for his own cancer diagnosis. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really get involved with water until we were getting notices of violation that were two months old from the water district that they were required by law to inform residents that they had exceeded contaminant levels for various cancer-causing agents.鈥�

According to Kentucky Division of Water records,聽Martin County鈥檚 water system has exceeded EPA limits for certain chemicals in its drinking water multiple times every year since 2005.聽Martin County was out of compliance in eight of the last 10 tests for haloacetic acid (HAA5) limits and 6 of the last 10 tests for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) limits.

These chemicals 鈥� by-products of聽chlorine聽treatment intended to make the water palatable 鈥� aren鈥檛 considered as dangerous聽as the lead that laced Flint鈥檚 water in Michigan. But the notifications sent to residents by the water district warn聽that聽extended exposure increases the risk of cancer.

Gail Brion, an engineering professor at the University of聽Kentucky聽who previously worked for the EPA, says the agency sets conservative limits for HAA5s and TTHMs. But an ethical controversy arises, says聽Professor Brion, when the government gives you no choice but to pay for bottled聽water聽in order to avoid this health risk.

Funding and priorities

The highest elected official in Martin County, Judge Executive Kelly Callaham, can be found in his corner office in the county鈥檚 newest courthouse. When asked about his county鈥檚聽water聽quality, Judge Callaham leans forward in his chair and waves one hand in the air.

鈥淵ou could drink four gallons of our聽water聽every day for 70 years and you have a chance of getting cancer. Well, hell, if you eat hot dogs, read what鈥檚 in hot dogs. You could eat four hot dogs a day for 70 years and you probably wouldn鈥檛 last 70 years,鈥� says Callaham. 鈥� 鈥楥ould cause cancer,鈥� and 鈥榳ill cause cancer鈥� is a whole different deal.鈥�

Callaham blames the EPA-mandated notices and the local newspaper, the Mountain Citizen, for what he considers unnecessary hysteria.

Editor Gary Ball has published a steady stream of articles on the water issue, as well as Callaham鈥檚 alleged misuse of county finances, including the $10 million courthouse building. 鈥淭he system has been mismanaged for years,鈥� Mr. Ball says.聽

Kentucky聽began issuing a 鈥渟everance鈥� tax on coal companies in 1972 to assist economic development. According to state records obtained by the Monitor, out of $34.5 million in coal severance funds disbursed since聽2001, Martin County spent $7.3 million 鈥� or about 21 percent 鈥� on sewer and water improvements.

Comparatively, state Senator Ray Jones 鈥� who represents five counties including Martin County 鈥� says his home of Pike County spent 70 to 75 percent of its severance tax funds on聽water聽and sewer infrastructure.

鈥淎 lot of it comes down to funding,鈥� says Senator Jones, 鈥渂ut a lot of it comes down to priorities.鈥�

Among other projects, Martin County spent about $3.3 million in coal severance funds on the new courthouse, and another $7 million to build the Inez Business Center. Local critics say these funds could have made a big dent in repairing Martin County鈥檚聽water聽system, with estimates of total renovation running between $13 and $15 million.

Coal severance revenues have plummeted in recent years. In 2016, Martin County received only 12 percent of what it got in 2009.聽Today the revenues provide just enough to cover the bond payments on the new courthouse.

Callaham says he wouldn鈥檛 have built it if he knew the coal severance money was going to run out so quickly.

But Darren Sammons with the聽Kentucky聽Department of Local Government says, 鈥淸W]e have been advising local officials for years to expect lower coal severance revenues and to budget accordingly.鈥澛�

A system built for 600, serving 3,500

Meanwhile, Hammond is left to address the water district鈥檚 manifold problems as best he can.

Martin County鈥檚聽water聽system 鈥� including a treatment plant 鈥� was built in 1968 for 600 customers. It currently serves 3,500. This expansion of lines in eastern聽Kentucky鈥檚 rocky hills created an underground system susceptible to holes and line breaks 鈥� and therefore聽water聽loss.

The EPA estimates the average聽water聽loss in the US to be 15 percent per month, but Martin County has been under investigation by the聽Kentucky聽Public Service Commission (PSC) in recent years for聽water聽loss rates聽greater than 60 percent.

When there鈥檚 a problem, Martin County residents often call the local newspaper instead of the water district, circumventing Hammond.聽

The newspaper goes directly to the PSC, which responds to the paper鈥檚 complaints by issuing Hammond extensive paperwork, which he says diverts resources away from dealing with customers鈥� problems.

鈥淚鈥檓 still working on things they have asked for鈥� 鈥� back in June 2016, he says.聽

'People are afraid to complain'

A Facebook group called Martin County Water Warriors, which has more than 1,000 members, regularly posts updates on water quality issues 鈥� everything from photos of corroded water heaters to updates about the next hearing on Martin County's water (June 1 in Frankfort, Ky.).

Nina and Mickey McCoy, longtime environmental activists, say they have also tried to organize citizen meetings to demand action on the city鈥檚聽water聽quality, but with little effect. Once,聽they ordered dozens of pizzas and聽not a single person showed up.聽

In a place where Big Coal holds so much sway, few are willing to publicly share their grievances.

鈥淧eople are afraid to complain about the聽water,鈥� says Mr. McCoy, because they fear losing their jobs or severance packages. 鈥淥r their third cousin might be fired. It runs deep.鈥�

There鈥檚 also a pervasive feeling that speaking up won鈥檛 accomplish anything.聽

鈥淭he government just doesn鈥檛 seem to work on this level for the people,鈥� says Dan Preece, a world history teacher at Sheldon Clark High School 鈥� who is willing to speak on the record only because he is tenured. 聽聽

鈥淲hen the kids see over time what does get spent here ... you see a new courthouse built, but we can鈥檛 get the聽water聽fixed,鈥� says Mr. Preece. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 feel like they matter, like this is not a problem worth solving.鈥�

But Jones, for one, is working on solving it. 聽

鈥淚t needs to be a collaborative effort between local officials, local citizens, and state officials,鈥� says Jones, who in February聽introduced legislation聽to give the PSC greater leverage over water districts.聽鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be resolved overnight鈥� but there needs to be a plan.鈥澛�

Staff writer Christa Case Bryant contributed reporting.