MILTON, WV (WOWK) — Since taking over the mayoral role in January, Milton Mayor Shane Evans has made it his first priority to fix the city’s ongoing water quality problem.
Over the past six months, the city has been inching closer to that goal. Now, the city has secured $7 million in grant funding to continue with phase one of the project.
“We’ve been very busy. I’m working all kinds of crazy hours and we hired a new operator and he’s really helped us out a lot and the main thing is we’re being consistent with everything we do and we’re trying to be proactive,” Water Project Manager Joe Kessler says.
Kessler has been working on the project for the past six months and the city is ready to move forward] by replacing water lines, upgrading the water plant, and adding new water tanks.
“We’re putting a new water tank in out on Kilgore Creek and we’re going to do some more maintenance here in the plant. Out on James River Turnpike there’s going to be new pipe in the ground and on over East Mud River on Conner’s Addition as well,” Kessler says.
Phase one is expected to start this coming Fall.
As for the next phase of the project, that will be determined once more funding is secured but the city is hoping to start phase two by Spring 2026.
“You’re going to see work going on for a couple to two to three years here. We’re not going to stop at this phase one. We’re going to keep on going trying to get rid of all the old galvanized and old steel lines in this town,” Kessler says.
