McDowell Residents Speak Out
In an interview with ReImagine Appalachia, McDowell County residents Betty Stepp and Diane Farmer shared about their water problems in Leckie and Anawalt and why they choose to stay and fight.
From Below is based in McDowell County, WV, focusing primarily on the communities connected to the Welch Charge of the United Methodist Church: Gary, Kimball, Welch, Leckie, and Jenkinjones. From Below supports water-impacted residents in the communities of Gary and the Anawalt area through community meetings, mutual aid resourcing, and advocacy for long-term solutions.
A petition to fund the Anawalt PSD project, designed by impacted residents, was sent to the McDowell County PSD and WV Governor and received no response. Water distributions have continued in the Gary and Anawalt area communities since March 2024. We have provided thousands of gallons of clean water funded entirely by the people, for the people, to 280+ homes in McDowell County.
