GARY, W.Va. — Workers in the McDowell County town of Gary began handing out bottled water to families Monday morning as town officials awaited test results after the drinking water turned black last week.
Gary Mayor Thomas Vineyard told MetroNews he hoped to learn of the results by last Monday or early Tuesday.
“We are waiting to get this information back to see if the (advisory) has been lifted,” he said.
Residents were advised not to use the water for cooking or bathing not long after the discolored water was noticed Thursday night. The water cleared up when it was treated at the water plant.
The mayor believes a slurry pond from a surface mining site near the town’s well probably had something to do with the water changing colors.
“It was black so that’s the first indication of where it came from,” Vineyard said.
A couple of coal companies and a family with a connection to Gary had stepped up to provide the bottled water that was being handed out Monday.
“We’re giving it out according to the number of people in the household. Also they have to sign a form saying they got the water so we can make sure that we distribute it evenly,” Mayor Vineyard said.
Local health departments, the state Department of Health and Human Resources and the state Department of Environmental Protection are part of the testing and investigation.