West Virginia Mayor Plans Sewer Expansion

A West Virginia plant has been in violation of dumping excessive ammonia into the Kanawha River periodically since 2001

Jan. 2, 2019

2 min read

Randy Barrett, mayor of Winfield, W. Va., is looking to continue working on fixing the sewage system in the town after being re-elected to a fourth term.

According to The Herald-Dispatch, the city’s sewer plant was built in the mid-1980s. The plant has been in violation of dumping excessive ammonia into the Kanawha River periodically since 2001.

The mayor invested $2 million in 2009 to clean its sewer lagoon system. According to Barrett, the city spent half a million dollars trying to address the problem, however, was not successful in fixing the ammonia levels. The investment happened during Mayor Ronald Stone’s tenure, Barrett said. Mayor preceding Stone had not invested in the sewage system, according to Barrett.

“[The $2 million investment] didn’t do anything” he said to The Herald-Dispatch. “But other than what he had done, no one had done anything about it.”

According to Barrett, people close to him who told him that taking up the sewer issue was not good for re-election. However, he though something needed to be done. He has raised sewer rates, and is now working on getting a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan to help fund the project.

Barrett also plans to extend the city to Little Hurricane Creek. The expansion could help with population growth and be good for business, according to Barrett.