RAND, WV (WOWK) — Rand residents have been waiting decades for a new storm and sewer system, and they say they can’t wait much longer.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation listed repairing the Rand drainage system as one of 30 projects in a bid letting conducted on Tuesday.

It comes after DOT engineers agreed in October 2022 to step in and help residents correct massive drainage problems they’ve been facing for years.

Todd Rumbaugh, P.E., Chief Engineer of Construction with the DOT told 13 News in a statement:

“This project could potentially be awarded during the next award meeting at the end of the month following reviews from WVDOH and the project managers. Once a project is awarded, it’s handed over to the district level for oversight and the district will then issue a notice to proceed to the contractor. The contractor is then able to begin the project following the notice to proceed.”

According to Doug Kirk, P.E., WVDOT Chief Engineer of Environmental Compliance, when Rand was first developed more than 100 years ago, the storm sewers and sanitary sewers ran together. They were separated at some point in the town’s history, but while the sanitary sewers were maintained, the storm sewers “fell into disrepair.”

The WVDOT says the plan is to use its resources to rebuild the storm sewer system, including running new lines to the Kanawha River to solve Rand’s flooding problems.

John Smith has lived in Rand for more than five decades and says water drainage has been an issue at his house almost that entire time.

Over the years, Smith says his house has flooded more times than he can count, and he has lost many valuable possessions as a result. Smith also says raw sewage has crept into his home from heavy rain storms in the past. He hopes to see the project in its completion soon.

“Move along expeditiously and show me what you got,” Smith said. “Do something. Try to help us out here.”

Mack Reed says he’s been dealing with constant flooding and drainage issues at his house for about fifteen years.

In that time, he says his floor has warped, he had to replace his broken air conditioning unit after it was damaged by floodwaters and often has to wear rain boots just to get out of his home and to his car in the morning.

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“They put us on the backburner if that makes sense. It seems like nobody cares. We pay our taxes. We vote. What about us? Not just Rand but this entire valley,” Reed said. “We shouldn’t be living like this. We are human just like anybody else is human.”

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