Ragland is a community with a long history of both coal mining and mine-related problems. From contaminated water to local roads damaged by coal trucks, residents worry about the mounting toll of mining impacts on their community. According to author Penny Loeb,

“Many Ragland residents don’t oppose the mines, underground or mountaintop. But they have seen so much damage, that they are angry – and frustrated that politicians and public officials fail to help them.”

“What concerns many Ragland residents the most is the slag dam near the top of the mountains. It stretches nearly three football fields across and is twice as long. Originally it was about 140 feet deep. But waste coal covers the bottom, so the water depth is considerably less. The watery dump was used for nearly 30 years until it reached capacity a few years ago.”

“Since the dam sits nearly a mile off the road and is reachable only on four wheelers and steep roads, those just passing through wouldn’t know it exists. But for the Ragland residents, it lies above the community, a dark watery reminder of the tragedy at Buffalo Creek. The community has been evacuated at least once because of concerns that the dam would break. People who have worked around these kinds of dams find this one of the most worrisome. They believe it was improperly constructed, though improvements were made more recently.”

“As if bad water, lack of public sewers, a looming lake and pot-holed roads weren’t enough, soon a White Flame Energy mountaintop mine will move in at the end of one hollow.”

Click here to learn more about Ragland, WV and the communities that live nearby.

Story and photo contributed by distinguished author Penny Loeb, www.wvcoalfield.com