Environment

HB 5525 creates the "Southern West Virginia Clean Water Fund" to improve drinking water in 13 specific counties (Boone, Fayette, Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming). The bill requires water utilities to conduct quarterly contaminant testing, replace lead service lines by 2035 (with financial help for low-income households), and implement advanced filtration systems where water quality fails state standards. It appropriates $10 million in state funds for infrastructure upgrades, mandates public reporting of test results within 30 days, and imposes fines (reinvested into the fund) for violations of safe drinking water limits. The law also requires annual infrastructure assessments and updates to contaminant standards every three years based on scientific research.