U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) announced a total of $131,310 in funding for the West Virginia State Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) West Virginia Private Water Well Safety Project. The goal of the project is to identify and address drinking water program performance gaps, improve efficiency and effectiveness of drinking water programs and identify and reduce exposures leading to drinking water contamination. “Investing in water infrastructure projects are not only important to the health and safety of our local residents, but they also help boost economic development and improve the prosperity of our families, businesses and communities,” Senator Manchin said. “I am pleased that the West Virginia Private Water Well Safety Project will be implemented to help keep West Virginia strong and ensure our residents are well served.” “Clean water is an essential resource that all West Virginians must have access to,” said Senator Capito. “I am pleased that this funding will enable the West Virginia Private Water Well Safety Project to improve drinking water programs throughout the state and keep our communities strong and healthy.” “This funding will target specific areas of the state, where private water wells are used frequently, to help ensure water quality is safe for their families,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, commissioner and state health officer for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. “This is a continuation of the Bureau for Public Health’s commitment to protecting West Virginia citizens from man-made or natural contaminants in their drinking water supplies.” The funding for the five-year West Virginia Private Water Well Safety Project was awarded by the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH). The grant announced will fund the project from Sept. 20, 2015 to Sept. 29, 2016.
