CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The governor’s Water Crisis Review netted Earl Ray Tomblin’s office nearly 200 comments from the public. They were accepted via mail and the Internet from May 5 through midnight Monday.
Tomblin administration Communications Director Chris Stadelman said when they put out the call for the water crisis review they wanted to hear the good and the bad from how the state responded to the Jan. 9 chemical spill into the Elk River from the Freedom Industries site that impacted 300,000 people in nine counties.
“What folks saw and heard. What they think we did well and what sorts of things did the responders and our response need to improve in the future.
One-hundred and ninety eight responses were sent to the Governor’s office. Two of those were written, the other 196 arrived via email. Stadelman said the information they glean from the responses will absolutely be taken into consideration.
“We’ll put them into themes so we can categorize them as to what it relates to,” explained Stadelman. “Is it about the water distribution? Is it about the immediate response?”
The governor’s office, along with the West Virginia National Guard and the DHHR, worked closely with local and county officials to address problems that arose during the crisis. That involved everything from testing water samples to determining the amount of MCHM in the water to providing potable water to schools for children to drink.
Stadelman firmly believes what they learn from the public comments will help in the future.
“The lessons that we learned can be used for smaller situations. We may have found ways to improve the response,” he said. “We’ll look at it for any help we may be able to get in responding to any size crisis.”
Stadelman said the governor’s office is still waiting to hear back from other governmental agencies involved in the water crisis. They’ll evaluate the input over the next few weeks.
If you didn’t get a chance to comment, Stadelman said it’s not too late. You can still send your thoughts and concerns to the governor’s office.