WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., was recognized on April 21 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Rural Water Association for his outstanding contributions and dedication to providing clean water to rural communities across West Virginia and the entire country. Byrd, as the senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has been the primary advocate over the years for increased funding for rural water and clean water programs under the auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Speaking at an awards presentation in the U.S. Capitol, Byrd said that, “Water is essential to life on this planet. Next to the air we breathe, water is the most vital element for life! A human being can live a month or more without food, but we cannot live many days without water!”

“Yet today, millions of Americans, especially rural Americans, are forced to depend upon drinking water that is dirty, and even dangerous -- water that is contaminated with toxic chemicals and disease breeding bacteria. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than two million rural Americans have needs for safe, dependable water supplies which can be called critical, and more than five million more have needs classified as serious.”

Byrd was joined at the awards presentation by five West Virginians (in above photo), and spoke specifically about his beloved Mountain State and his efforts to ensure that all West Virginians have safe drinkable water.

“In the 1920s, less than 2 percent of the coal company towns in southern West Virginia had running water. I know. I spent a good portion of my boyhood fetching water with a bucket for my family. But, we are no longer in the 1920s. We are in the 21st century! Yet, in West Virginia, and all across the country, the health of millions of men, women, and children is endangered because of contaminated water. Imagine that! Millions of Americans whose health is at risk because of dirty water. The federal government has a clear responsibility to provide support, both financial help and engineering assistance, to ensure safe and efficient water systems to all of our citizens.”