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CHATTAROY, W.Va. — West Virginia Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins met with Chattaroy residents and local leaders Tuesday in Mingo County.

Representative Jenkins discussed sewer issues in the Howard’s Creek area of Chattaroy.

Residents on Howard Hollow Road, Barker Avenue and Bee Street have had numerous complications with their sewer system.

“Anytime it rains the sewer comes up and we have a mess,” said Wendy Barker, a Chattaroy resident. “It runs in our yards, down the main road and we have people around us that can’t flush their commodes. It has come up into their bathtubs.” 

Officials with the Mingo County Public Service Commission say the sewer system was built in 1964. Residents in the area say the problem has been going on for at least 25 years, if not longer.

“We have fought with them [the Mingo County Public Service Commission] for several years about working on it. It kind of got tiresome. All we ever heard was, ‘we’re taking care of it,'” added Barker.

The problem effects roughly 400 costumers. Residents and officials are mostly concerned for the public’s health.

“We should not have to be living with raw sewage,” said Barker. “Other people’s sewage. We had one family that had to move out of their home. The raw sewage would go in their air conditioning unit and under their house. It was making their kids deathly sick. They had to move.”

The Mingo County P.S.C. estimates the cost to fix the problem is at least 6-million dollars. Representative Jenkins is hoping for a permanent fix and not just a temporary solution. More community forums could take place in the future.