Ohio County To Receive $2 Million For Water System Improvements
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WHEELING - West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday morning that $2 million is on its way to Ohio County to "secure and improve" critical water infrastructure.
Morrisey made the announcement during a stop at the City-County Building in downtown Wheeling. The funding was secured in close partnership with the Ohio County Public Service District (PSD) and is part of $450 million being directed toward water and infrastructure improvements across the state.
Morrisey explained the money in Ohio County will first be put toward needed maintenance for the Cabela Elevated Water Storage Tank near The Highlands. The 500,000-gallon tank will be sandblasted and recoated.
The tank will also be equipped with a modern aeration mixing system that will help in keeping the tank disinfected.
In West Liberty, a 12-inch cast iron water main serving town of West Liberty is set to be replaced as part of the "Route 88 Water Main Replacement Project," he said. The water main was placed in the 1960s, according to Morrisey.
A new 5,300-foot section will be placed to end recurring water breaks that have caused outages for the community and West Liberty University and compromised the water system over time.
Other upgrades involve relocating the altitude valve near the West Liberty tank to resolve water stagnation and ensure fresh, safe drinking water flow, Morrisey explained.
"Safe, reliable drinking water is one of the most important products government can provide for its citizens," said Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton. "Over the history of the past few decades, it has become increasingly expensive to maintain those systems.
"Every water system, every sewer system in the United States, struggles every year to do improvement projects and continue to provide safe water."
In Ohio County, flooding last year caused "millions of dollars of damage" to water infrastructure systems throughout the county.
"Clean drinking water isn't something you should really be concerned about, but it is something that we have to stay on top of so communities have the modernized infrastructure that they need," Morrisey said. "Over the last few months, we have been talking about clean drinking water across the whole state. It is one of the fundamentals. And when I became governor I wanted to amp up the fundamentals...
"Water infrastructure and sewer infrastructure is a part of that."
Since January 2025 when Morrisey took office, more than $450 million has been invested by the state in local water and sewerage projects. But more needed to be done, he reported.
"We looked under the mattress cover and the cushions and said listen, we have the ability to put in an additional $145 million - and then match that with federal dollars that are available," Morrisey said. "That could bring another $400 million into our state for our basic infrastructure. That's a really cool thing. Now, we're going around the state looking at the most meritorious projects and making sure we do the right thing."