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Latest Stories

Schools Search For New Superintendent — Input From County Residents Invited

School Board Looks At Options To Fund Increase In Ranson Elementary Construction Costs

Construction Costs Up For New Ranson Elementary School Building

Housing Trends And School Enrollment Projections

Jefferson County Ambulance Services Now Operating As County Department

Sale of Jefferson Utilities Hits Resistance From Consumer Advocate & PSC Staff

Rockwool Commits To Improving Stormwater Management At Its Ranson Factory

West Virginia Legislators Consider Regulations For PFAS Chemicals

New Housing Construction Up Again in Jefferson County

American Conservation Film Festival 2023

Small-Scale Agriculture Workshops

Speak Storytelling Announces 2023 Season

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In Print

karst geology

Waters of Jefferson County

October, 2021 Tagged With: drinking water, groundwater, karst geology, SIGHTLINE, SIGHTLINE INTRODUCES, water monitoring, water pollution, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

a riffle in a stream.

What is karst? Who is responsible for protecting surface waters and groundwater in WV? How can community members ensure the safety of their drinking water resources. This SIGHTLINE covers topics surrounding water in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>

Construction Complete, Concerns Continue Over Rockwool

June, 2021 Tagged With: air pollution, groundwater, Jefferson County Foundation, karst geology, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), rockwool, stormwater, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia Environmental Quality Board

Rockwool facility in Ranson, as viewed from the Black burial ground (Boyd Carter Memorial Cemetery) adjacent to the factory property.

According to the @ROCKWOOLRansonCommunity page on Facebook, the manufacturing facility will operate equipment in May to “run in” the factory, prior to beginning production operations in June. In an April 30 post, the company stated that “steam” will be visible from the chimney stack above the “wet electrostatic precipitator'' and a “plume” will be visible from the tall chimney Read the Full Story >>

Taking Waters Into Their Own Hands

February, 2021 Tagged With: drinking water, groundwater, Jefferson County Foundation, karst geology, rockwool, SIGHTLINE, water monitoring, water pollution, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

A map of drinking water wells and municipal water source protection areas proximal to the Rockwool factory in Jefferson County.

Concerned that West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) oversight is insufficient to protect the water underlying their property from the threat of pollutants from the planned nearby Rockwool factory, a group of local residents is hiring experts to test their water to establish a record to use in possible future legal action. Read the Full Story >>

Counting on the Well Water

December, 2020 Tagged With: air pollution, drinking water, groundwater, Jefferson County Foundation, karst, karst geology, rockwool, water pollution

A map of drinking water wells near the site of the Rockwool facility in Ranson.

After the WV Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a notice on November 5, 2020 that it was authorizing the Rockwool stone wool insulation manufacturing facility in Ranson to operate under a general water pollution control permit, the Jefferson County Foundation noted that the source water protection area map submitted as part of the facility’s application process marked only 4 drinking water wells within the one mile buffer zone. Read the Full Story >>

The Water Connecting Us

September, 2020 Tagged With: brownfields, cave, groundwater, karst geology, Lakeland Caverns, rockwool, SIGHTLINE, USGS, water monitoring, water pollution, WVDEP, zoning

map of Caverns in Jefferson County, West Virginia.

One hundred years ago, underneath the Old Opera House in Charles Town, locals and tourists danced the night away beside a crystal-clear lake inside a cavern filled with orchestral tones. Today, the Lakeland Caverns cave is quiet, all entries sealed off from the public.  Read the Full Story >>

Do We Need to Pollute the Water to Create Jobs?

October, 2019 Tagged With: drinking water, groundwater, karst geology, rockwool, water pollution, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

Rockwool

On October 23, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) will hold a public hearing on Rockwool’s applications for two stormwater permits. The hearing will begin at 6pm in the Storer Ballroom of the Shepherd University Student Center and will end at 8pm. Any citizen concerned about drinking water should come to this hearing. Read the Full Story >>

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