Local agencies don't expect water to be affected by Ohio derailment, aftermath
Feb. 15—SOUTHERN INDIANA — Indiana American Water officials said Tuesday that the water supply to Clark and Floyd counties has not been affected by a chemical spill in an Ohio train derailment.
Indiana American Water does not use water from the Ohio River at its water treatment facilities, keeping the utility from being affected so far by the derailment.
The derailment occurred about 400 miles from Southern Indiana, and there has been concern there about chemical contamination in the river.
"Indiana American Water's source water for the drinking water in the communities it serves in Southern Indiana is sourced from groundwater aquifers located next to the Ohio River. Currently, these aquifers have not been impacted by conditions in the Ohio River following a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this month," said Indiana American Water External Affairs Manager Joe Loughmiller in a statement to the News and Tribune.
As part of the water company's daily water quality protocol it monitors water coming from these aquifers and performs water quality tests during the treatment process, Loughmiller said in the statement.
"The company is also evaluating the need for additional monitoring to determine any potential long-range impacts to our groundwater sources," he said. "The health and safety of our customers is a top priority, and as additional information becomes available, the company will provide updates."
Environmental and health concerns are being raised by people in the small Ohio city, which is close to the borders of both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, following the train derailment and subsequent controlled burn of the wreckage.
The Associated Press reported about 50 train cars derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3. About 20 of the Norfolk Southern train's 100 cars were carrying hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride. Ten of the cars involved in the derailment had the chemical inside.
Early last week, authorities in Ohio slowly released vinyl chloride into the air from five of those cars, then set it all on fire, The Associated Press reported. The burn was to get rid of flammable and toxic chemicals in a controlled way and created a large, dark, smoke plume.
Authorities evacuated people in the area before the blast, but have since said it's safe to return.
Despite that, residents have told reporters with the AP and NBC News that they still don't feel safe. A woman told Ohio news affiliate WKBN-TV she found five of her chickens and a rooster dead in nearby North Lima, Ohio, following the controlled burn.
According to our news partners at WAVE-3, officials with Louisville Water told reporters on Monday that there's no threat to drinking water for its customers at this time.
"We have an extensive monitoring network for organics detection in the Ohio River at various points all along the river basin, and that network is detecting the low level of chemicals associated with the release of the train derailment," Louisville Water Quality Manager Chris Bobay said.
Bobay said the chemical levels are well below any published CDC health guidelines, but even low levels can alter the taste and smell of the water.
Bobay said there's been no detection of vinyl chloride in the water.
WAVE-3 reports Louisville Water is seeing a compound called "butyl acrylate."
"Butyl acrylate is an ester, and esters are known for imparting very strong odors to the water at higher concentrations," Bobay said. "The levels we're seeing, we don't expect to see any odor issues. But we have developed a treatment strategy to make sure that we remove the odors if they're there."
The spill plume from the incident in East Palestine, Ohio, is still far away from reaching the area, Bobay said.
