Around the swollen Elk River, now flowing with a chemical that no one can pronounce, myriad streams and rivulets tumbled from the hillsides this weekend, the result of a drenching downpour. Logs and branches floated downstream, toward the junction with the Kanawha in the heart of the city. Potholes on the beat-up country roads had turned into deep puddles. As they say: Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. “DO NOT USE WATER” say the signs taped over sinks at the airport, and in the state capitol the sinks are entirely wrapped in plastic bags. People line up for free water at the fire stations, or buy it directly at the Dollar General, $1.60 for a 20-ounce Dasani, $39 for a flat of 24 bottles. A chemical used in coal processing has leaked from an old tank along the Elk and invaded the water […]