Justice directs administration to monitor air, water after Ohio train derailment

Feb. 15—West Virginia's governor has directed the states's Emergency Management Division (WVEMD) and the Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) to monitor air and water quality for chemical spills due to a Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio near the West Virginia border.

On the evening of Feb. 3, the WVEMD Watch Center was notified of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Upon notification, WVEMD activated the State Emergency Operations Plan, alerting state agencies and local emergency managers about the incident, according to a statement from the WVEMD.

Since the initial notification, and at Gov. Jim Justice's direction, WVEMD, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and the Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) have closely monitored the situation for any impacts to West Virginia or its citizens.

Low levels of butyl acrylate reached the Ohio River through Little Beaver Creek, a small tributary located near the Ohio and Pennsylvania border. Upon learning of the spill, the WVDHHR's Bureau for Public Health (BPH) immediately began contacting the five water systems along the Ohio River that could be impacted and recommended, out of an abundance of caution, to shut down all water intakes until additional information could be obtained. The Weirton PSD detected chemicals at their intake and the water source was quickly switched to an alternate supply out of an abundance of caution.

As the state agency charged with regulating drinking water safety, WVDHHR remains in close contact with all water systems in the state who source water from the Ohio River. Water sampling is ongoing and recent results have been non-detect for butyl acrylate in both the raw and finished water supplies. Water sampling will continue, WVEMD officials said.

In addition, WVDEP is working with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), the Ohio EPA and the U.S. EPA on monitoring and tracking the chemical as it moves down the Ohio River.

As of Feb. 6 at 3 p.m., the chemical plume was confirmed in the Ohio River at mile marker 199, about 22 miles upstream of Ravenswood and traveling at 1 mph. It was estimated to be near the Ravenswood area, according to WVEMD officials.

The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) developed Provisional Health Guidance Values for drinking water. The current detections in the river were well below the ATSDR health values and decreasing as the plume travels.

Testing was being conducted about 7 miles above the water intake for the City of Huntington, according to WVEMD officials. Additionally, West Virginia American Water was implementing an alternate water intake that pulls from the Guyandotte River as a precautionary measure.

The WVDEP is coordinating with ORSANCO to continue daily monitoring of multiple sites along the Ohio River.

The WVDEP is also in contact with the Ohio EPA and the U.S. EPA regarding air quality monitoring, according to the WVEMD statement. The U.S. EPA has conducted continuous air monitoring along the perimeter of the train derailment site in Ohio and has not detected any concentrations of contaminants above screening levels. WVDEP air monitoring stations located in the northern panhandle have not detected any impacts to air quality stemming from the derailment.

"EMD will continue 24/7 monitoring through the duration of this incident, notifying officials of any change to the situation," said Dr. Matt Blackwood, EMD Deputy Director.

West Virginians with questions or concerns regarding water quality should contact the water utility serving their household. People can report any environmental issues, regardless of their cause, to the statewide spill line at 1-800-642-3074, WVEMD officials said.

The water issues occurring in East Palestine and Fort Gay are not related as they are on separate water supplies being the Ohio River and Big Sandy River, according to the WVEMD statement.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, said Tuesday that she and her staff were remaining in contact with federal and state agencies regarding the train derailment since it is close to West Virginia's border.

"While there are no drinking water advisories in place as of now, we'll continue to monitor the situation closely," she said.

Capito commented about the situation on social media after the derailment was reported. She said that she was grateful to first responders in Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as West Virginia, and would work with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) "to get the bottom of why this happened and work to prevent future accidents like it."

Capito also thanked members of the West Virginia National Guard who assisted efforts at the train derailment, and she said that she had spoken with the CEO of Norfolk Southern Railroad to get an update about the situation.

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com