Giles County couple blames Mountain Valley Pipeline for runoff mess

By Laurence Hammack laurence.hammack@roanoke.com 981-3239 Aug 3, 2018

RIPPLEMEAD — It was bad enough to see the driveway that leads to their blue and white-trimmed farmhouse converted to a construction access road for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
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More than frustrating was what happened during Thursday night’s pounding rainfall, when the same gravel road channeled a wave of muddy water down a hillside, through a chicken coop, across the yard and into their basement.
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In recent months, state regulators have documented uncontrolled erosion from multiple work sites along the pipeline’s path. Late Friday afternoon, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered a stop to all construction on the project.
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It was the first reported case of runoff from the project actually entering someone’s home, according to Jason Shelton, who works for Mountain Valley Watch, a citizen watchdog group that has been tracking the largest natural gas pipeline ever to cross Southwest Virginia. ... About eight inches of water covered their basement floor by the time the torrent subsided, the Gallaghers said. Much of it was still there Friday afternoon, causing a dank odor that spread through their circa-1890 house and a sense of unease that could last even longer.
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Laurence Hammack covers environmental issues, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and business and enterprise stories. He has been a reporter for The Roanoke Times for more than three decades.

Photos: Pipeline construction leads to flooding in Giles County

Aug 3, 2018