"KEYSTONE — One of the only things standing between the residents of Keystone, in McDowell County, and more reliable water service is access to a backhoe, said Vondalere Scott, the town clerk and current acting mayor.

For some residents, it’s been more than one week since they’ve been able to run water from their home faucets. A broken pipe disrupted water service last week, and another one again affected more residents a few days later.

The town, which serves about 80 customers on its water line, doesn’t have equipment like a backhoe available to dig a hole deep enough to fix the pipes in a timely manner, and it doesn’t have the money to buy or rent one for long enough to get the work done, Scott said."

Caity Coyne reports for the Charleston Gazette-Mail June 1, 2019. [2]