POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Houses in the Meadowlands Estates subdivision in Mason County sustained damage Saturday from water and mud when a fence in a silt retention area at the Nscale construction site gave way during heavy rain.
Mason County state lawmakers, Sen. Eric Tarr and Dels. Jonathan Pinson and Jim Butler, released a joint statement late Sunday afternoon:
“The significant rainfall Saturday, May 23rd resulted in what Nscale officials have told us was a breach at the silt retention area of their construction site in Mason County which then impacted portions of the Meadowlands Estates subdivision. We are thankful the damage appears to have been limited primarily to garages, crawlspaces and HVAC equipment and no injuries have been reported.
“Local and state officials have been in communication with representatives from Nscale, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Governor’s Office, who coordinated an evaluation from the West Virginia National Guard. The company has acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and has already deployed cleanup crews as well as contractors to assist affected homeowners. We remain in communication about immediate corrective actions as well as a prevention plan to help ensure an event like this does not happen again — here or anywhere else in West Virginia.”
The flooding came from an area where a site is being prepared for the Monarch Compute Campus working with Nscale on a data center. Fidelis New Energy announced the project earlier this year.
Monarch Site Manager Jason Bechtle released a statement to WSAZ-TV.
Bechtle said the rainfall was significant. He said the site’s stormwater controls were just checked last week and found to be in compliance.
Bechtle said the company was quickly on the scene to help impacted homeowners. He said the company will take care of cleanup and repair costs.