Poisoned trust Delays, confusion and Wayne’s water crisis

Access to clean water is a fundamental resource that often goes unnoticed, especially in parts of the world where it is not only expected, but necessary. From drinking to bathing, water is used in more ways than most realize, but for residents of Wayne County, West Virginia, the sense of security has been replaced by uncertainty.

An issued “do not consume” order has turned into a full-scale investigation involving vandalism, leaving many residents asking how it could happen in their community.

What started as a normal week quickly became a nightmare. As early as Jan. 11, residents began reporting the smell of “diesel” or “petroleum” in their water. After initial testing and the discovery of vandalism at an AEP substation in East Lynn, officials found nearly 5,000 gallons of transformer oil had leaked into Twelvepole Creek. A “do not consume” order was issued Jan. 16 – nearly six days after residents first reported smelling foul odors.

For many, the delay in notification raised serious concerns.

Wayne resident Ariell Phillips says she worries about how the community was informed. Phillips, a nurse, says she saw multiple patients who were unaware their water had been contaminated.

“I didn’t receive a phone call,” Phillips said. “They said that they had called everybody who had Wayne water. I checked my phone; I had checked my voicemails. Maybe it went to spam, maybe it went to deleted messages … I don’t want to throw blame on the town of Wayne at all, but I do want to be honest about that. I did not receive a phone call.”

A mother of two, Phillips says she is especially concerned about her family’s health. Between sports practices and bath time, she worries about the potential effects of chemical exposure. After inspecting the water herself, Phillips says it was clear it was not a minor issue.

“It smelled like diesel fuel, like a gas station,” Phillips said. “It smelled like oil, gas; it smelled, and it smelled even prior to us being notified of it, and it was strong. It wasn’t discolored or anything like that … I took a clear glass of water and put it up on the sink and let it sit for a couple of hours just to see if I could see anything in the water. I couldn’t see anything, but inside the glass when I went to pour the water out, I could feel a film; it felt slimy.”

Like Phillips, freshman student Kinley Runyon says she did not learn about the situation through official alerts. Instead, she heard about it from her father, who contacted the mayor after seeing posts on Facebook.

“My dad works at the courthouse, so he talked to the mayor and was like, ‘What’s happening? Why can we not use the water?’ [The mayor] was like, ‘I just found out,’ and by this time, everyone was, like, blowing up Facebook. ‘What’s wrong with our water? It smells like oil,’” Runyon said.

By then, social media had filled with posts from residents concerned about the smell and taste of their water. Runyon says she sympathizes with the mayor, believing he had little more information than the public at the time.

“I feel like there’s not much you can do,” Runyon said. “Like, it’s not Mayor Grace’s fault. He can’t go clean it out, like, you can’t vacuum the creek. The mayor came out and said, ‘I did not know until Tuesday.’”

Runyon says concern spread quickly throughout the town. She says some families even noticed their pets getting sick before the “do not consume” order was issued.

“I found out through Facebook … Honestly, I was just like, ‘Okay, this isn’t real.’ Like, maybe someone’s water smells bad, but it’s not that bad, but then people started posting pictures and videos, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, what is this?’ … Everyone just kind of went crazy. I feel like, where I’m younger, if I were a mom, I would freak out, too, especially if I had younger kids. Those are babies,” Phillips said.

Now, more than three weeks later, Wayne residents are still without clean water, and there are no reported leads in the investigation. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Wayne County Commission are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to those responsible.

Phillips says she believes there might be more to the story.

“Why would they vandalize that specific transformer box? Why would they vandalize that and not touch anything else? It’s quite offensive, to be honest, that they think that we’re goofy enough to believe that. We’re not these redneck, hillbilly kind of people that they may think that we are. We’re smart, we’re educated, we work hard … We’re not this small town that’s just silly that’s just gonna believe whatever they tell us,” Phillips said.

AEP declined to comment.

While many are still waiting for answers, a tight-knit community is coming together to help each other during a time when so much remains unknown.

“One thing I’m thankful for about our community is that we do come together,” Phillips said.

In the meantime, bottled water and water buffaloes are being passed out by AEP at town hall along with portable showers and washing machines set up for public use. While residents say these resources are appreciated, many remain concerned about how long it will take for life to return to normal.

Concerns deepened after testing by the town of Wayne and the Department of Environmental Protection revealed the presence of hydrocarbons, substances that, according to the CDC, can increase the risk of cancer, reproductive problems and other health complications.

Cleanup efforts were further delayed by a major ice storm that made conditions too dangerous for crews to continue working. Residents in need of water were forced to stock up or brave the winter weather until crews could return.

Wayne’s situation also echoes a broader pattern in West Virginia’s history with water safety. In 2014, one of the state’s largest chemical spills affected nearly 300,000 people across nine counties in what became known as the “West Virginia water crisis.”

During the crisis, residents reported a strong licorice smell before officials discovered a leak from a storage tank containing a coal-cleaning chemical known as 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol, or MCHM. Because the spill was not immediately reported, more than 7,500 gallons had already entered the water supply, threatening both residents and wildlife.

Investigations later revealed the company responsible, Freedom Industries, had prior knowledge of the spill but failed to alert authorities. Cleanup efforts were also found to be inadequate, further intensifying public outrage. The disaster led to a 50-day state of emergency.

In response, legislation was passed requiring most public water systems to develop Source Water Protection Plans, according to West Virginia Rivers. The plans are designed to identify potential contamination risks and outline strategies to protect public water supplies.

Now, as Wayne faces its own water crisis, residents are left questioning whether those safeguards are being enforced, particularly after reports of delayed warnings and missed alerts. In the weeks since, gas shutoffs and water main breaks have only added to a growing list of issues, deepening frustration in a community already stretched thin.

Still, some lawmakers say change may be coming. In January, Senate Bill 457 was introduced, aiming to require the Department of Health to evaluate public water sources for unsafe contamination and provide filtration equipment to residents whose water is deemed unsafe.

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, but for many West Virginians, it represents a step toward restoring trust.

Water testing is being conducted regularly by the DEP, with the most recent lab results showing no detection of mineral oil in the sample. Even so, the “do not consume” order remains in effect as cleanup efforts continue. For Wayne residents, the uncertainty lingers, with many worrying if these incidents persist, families could be forced to relocate, something that isn’t possible for most. Until then, the community is left waiting for answers, accountability and, above all, clean water again.