On Wednesday, June 28, the Birch River Public Service District held its preconstruction conference with Virco Contracting and E.L. Robinson Engineering to complete Phase II of the Wilson Ridge Waterline Extension Project, which will complete the Wilson Ridge Waterline Extension.
The Birch River PSD has been pursuing this project for well over a decade, applying to various funding sources over the years with little success. Now the West Virginia Infrastructure Jobs and Development Council has implemented a new program to assist projects of critical nature, including end-of-line customers who have been historically hard to serve through traditional funding sources. This project received an $800,000 West Virginia Infrastructure Jobs and Development Council Critical Needs Grant in 2021, ultimately providing the avenue desperately needed to bring the Phase II project to life.
Phase II Project will serve approximately 25 remaining customers on Wilson Ridge who have had to rely on insufficient wells and cisterns, or had to haul water all together.