Safe Water for WV was developed in 2015 to provide community education around a new legal requirement for source water protection planning. The law grew from the tragic 2014 drinking water crisis that left nearly 1 in 5 West Virginians without safe water. WV Rivers championed the new law, and is now working to help utilities implement their plans.

The new Safe Water Harpers Ferry Task Force is supporting the Harpers Ferry water utility, especially on parts of their source water protection plan that are outside of their service area. Stakeholders are developing projects that build capacity to address both the source water protection plan and the watershed based plan for the impaired Elks Run (Harpers Ferry’s water supply). The goal is to bring the good work and capacity of committed organizations and agencies together into the same room to share resources and leverage investment. The hope is that a stronger watershed community will emerge. Elks Run Watershed Group is poised as a critical information and program hub of these expanded efforts to create awareness and connection to our water.