Kessler Appoints Kanawha-Charleston Health Department Chief to Water System Panel

Senate President Jeff Kessler has announced his appointment to a statewide panel that will focus on the quality of public water systems in West Virginia.

Kessler announced in a press release the appointment of Kanawha- Charleston Health Department Executive Director Dr. Rahul Gupta to the panel. Gupta will serve as a non-voting member.

The Public Water System Supply Study Committee was created under Senate Bill 373, the bill passed by lawmakers earlier this year to regulate above ground storage tanks and protect the state’s drinking water supply. The bill was a result of the January chemical leak in Charleston that left 300,000 people without water for as many as 10 days.

The commission is charged with studying the effectiveness of that bill as well as providing suggestions on how to improve the infrastructure of current water systems across the state. The 12 commission members will then report their findings to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on or before December 15 each year.