By Ashley Perham, Charleston Gazette-Mail
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. — A $500,000 settlement has come out of litigation surrounding a chemical spill into Paint Creek in August 2022.
Half of that money will go to the Kanawha County Commission, which will discuss how to spend it at a future public meeting.
Of Kanawha County’s $250,000 share, Commissioner Lance Wheeler said $69,000 will go toward recouping taxpayer costs of litigation and testing. Wheeler said he wants to use money to restore Paint Creek “back to glory,” the way it was before the spill.
Shay Couch, president of the Paint Creek Watershed Association, previously told reporters that fishing was a popular activity in the creek. The spill killed 33,446 fish, according to a Division of Natural Resources study referenced in the lawsuit.
Wheeler said he wants to get the Paint Creek Watershed Association involved to hear what the needs are in the community.
“They know their community better than Commissioner Carper, Salango or myself do,” Wheeler said. “So it’s nice to hear from them what they believe would be good for that area and revitalize that creek since the spill.”