Independent Home Tap Testing Project FAQ

Who will do the testing?
Governor Tomblin has directed the Bureau for Public Health to contract with outside independent experts experienced with drinking water quality issues within homes.

A team, led by independent scientists and experts Dr. Andrew Whelton and Jeffrey Rosen, will lead the project.

Dr. Whelton was recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant and chosen to lead the home testing aspects of this project.

Mr. Rosen, President of Corona Environmental Consulting, LLC, will provide guidance as the project manager. Mr. Rosen, and his team, will help to coordinate all statistical design, activities, logistics, and management associated with the project.

Three immediate actions have been initiated:

ACTION: The team will engage independent experts to perform odor threshold tests for 4-MCHM.

ACTION: The team will assemble a panel of national who will conduct a review of MCHM/PPH drinking water screening levels.

ACTION: The team will initiate the initial assessment that will be used for the design of an in-home, at the tap sampling study.

These efforts will help answer important questions from the public.

Governor Tomblin has also reached out to Senators Rockefeller and Manchin as well as Congressman Rahall and Congresswoman Capito to ask for their support of federal assistance. Governor Tomblin believes research is essential to addressing short-term and long-term health impacts of the presence of this chemical in drinking water.


Why was the team chosen?
Dr. Whelton was selected to help lead this project because he has 14 years of experience on water quality issues and provides an independent voice for the project. In addition, Dr. Whelton, through a National Science Foundation research grant, is examining how pipe materials interact with chemicals and has been in the Mountain State for three weeks. As a former civilian employee of the U.S. Army, Dr. Whelton was involved with drinking water system disaster planning and research.

Mr. Rosen is the President of Corona Environmental Consulting, LLC. He is a Senior Scientist and Statistician with over thirty years of experience in conducting environmental research. Mr. Rosen has been supporting the drinking water community for over 25 years and has worked on a wide range of topics including regulation development, on-line monitoring, and homeland security and information system development.


How much is this going to cost?
The governor has committed $650,000 from his budget to provide the support for this independent project.

Participation in the project is voluntary. It is estimated a homeowner will pay less than 25 cents for the approximately 21 gallons of water used to test each home.

The team will work independently and report their findings directly to the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health.


How long will this take?
The field work for the initial assessment may take up to three weeks to be completed. Once the data has been analyzed, the testing will move from an initial assessment to a study.

Testing in each of the selected homes may take several hours to complete.

Who will be coming into my home? How will I identify them?
Prior to the arrival of the independent home testing team, a member of the team will confirm your participation and schedule a time to visit your home. A West Virginia Volunteer Firefighter will accompany the home testing team. Upon arrival, the members of the team will introduce themselves, provide photo identification, and provide you with a WV TAP information packet.


What if I don't want them in my home?
You can choose not to participate. Participation in the initial assessment of WV TAP and the project is voluntary.