Stop More Pollution in West Virginia’s Rivers and Streams!

West Virginia’s waters are at risk of additional pollution. A bill that will remove certain streams from receiving Category A drinking water protections, allowing more toxic pollutants to flow into our rivers and streams, passed the House and is now before the Senate.

We encourage you to contact your State Senators using this form today, by phone or email, to ask them to amend the bill to remove the harmful provision that would allow more pollution in some of our waters. Find your Senators' contact information here.

What’s Happening? WV's waters have different water quality standards to protect different uses: aquatic life, drinking water, and recreation. For decades, West Virginia has enforced Category A drinking water standards across the state to protect public health. Category A puts the most stringent limits on toxic pollutants discharged into rivers and streams that provide our drinking water. But now, manufacturing industries are pressuring lawmakers to remove these protections on smaller streams that aren't used as a source of drinking water. The problem with this thinking is that these smaller streams still flow downstream into our water supplies. Removing Category A protections on any stream will allow industry to discharge more pollutants into our waterways.

What You Need to Know: This water quality rule change is now before the Senate. We need you to ask the committee to amend the bill to remove the harmful provision that would allow more pollution in some of our waters.

This is about more toxic pollution in our streams — period. If Category A protections are removed, pollution discharge permits for facilities that discharge to these streams will no longer have to meet more stringent water quality standards for a long list of pollutants that harm human health, including dozens of carcinogens that pose severe health risks.

Some pollutants that could increase with the passage of House Bill 2233:   

• Benzene, which can cause leukemia, will increase by 83%.  
• Methylene chloride, linked to nervous system, liver, heart, skin, and eye damage, will increase by 126%.
• Vinyl chloride, known to increase the risk of lung, brain, and liver cancers, will increase by 72%.  

Why This Matters  

• Increased levels of harmful chemicals in rivers and streams will mean greater health risks for people;  
• Downstream water systems will bear the burden, increasing treatment costs for utilities and making safe drinking water harder to maintain;  
• Industry stands to save money because they can spend less treating their toxic discharges — but West Virginians will pay the price.  

We Must Act Now! West Virginians deserve cleaner water, not more pollution. Similar rollbacks have been rejected before — we must make sure this one is, too.  

Tell your legislators: Keep pollution out of our water. Strike the harmful provision in HB 2233 that would allow more pollution in some of our waters.

Complete the form now to send a message to your TWO State Senators. Our water, our health, and our future depend on it!