The Charleston Gazette
Charleston, West Virginia
November 10, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Local officials have asked the federal government for help in removing old tires and other debris that piles up behind the Morgantown Lock and Dam on the Monongahela River.
Several municipalities along the river, including Morgantown, have passed a resolution requesting federal funding to eliminate the problem. The resolution also has peen approved by the Monongalia County Commission, the county Solid Waste Authority, and the Monongalia County Deveiopment Authority.
The resolution, which originated, at a Region VI Planning and Development Council meeting, proposes that the federal government be responsible for developing the technology to remove debris while local governments concentrate on its disposal.
"This is an issue that has kept coming up periodically for years and years and years," said Don Reinke, director of the development authority. "Some people complain about the buildup of trash and debris, but here's an instance where some folks are actually trying to do something about it."
County Commissioner Bob Bell said the effort could be a pilot project that eventually would benefit other riverfront cities across the nation.
" I believe once we show them what is collected at this site, the federal government will see an urgency that this needs to be done in all of the nation's rivers," he said.
Several years ago, Rep. Nick Joe Rahall, D-W.Va., obtained federal funding for a similar effort to remove debris behind Bluestone Dam near Hinton.