Cincinnati And Northern Kentucky Shut Down Water Intakes After Train Derailment

Daniel ChaitinFebruary 19, 2023

Cincinnati and Northern Utilities Kentucky Early Sunday morning, the Ohio River water intakes valves were closed due to concerns about contamination from hazardous materials. Train that was derailed East Palestine Ohio.

Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW), and Northern Kentucky Water Districts (NKWD) said that they are taking precautions after testing revealed low levels of toxic chemicals in certain places at intakes along waterways. This is amid reports of a “toxic spillage”. fish dying en masse Local waterways and East Palestine residents report ailments such as Headaches and rashes.

Crews carried out what authorities called a “a” rescue operation following the February 3 Norfolk Southern freight train crash. Controlled burning of hazardous chemicals From cars in danger of exploding. This prompted temporary evacuations and a large plume smoke over the small Pennsylvania town.

“Emergency responders were able to quickly respond and contain most of the chemicals,” NKWD A press release. NKWD stated that one of the chemicals was butyl acrylate. “was detected at low levels in the Ohio River far upstream of our water supply intakes.”

Butyl acrylate “is a clear liquid with a sweet odor used in arts and crafts, adhesives, flooring, sinks, bathtubs, to name just a few of the uses of the chemical,” NKWD.

GCWW It was believed that low levels of butylacrylate could have caused the problem. “seeped” Through a small creek located about 300 miles north-east of Cincinnati, into the Ohio River.

Sunday afternoon GCWW report “2-Ethyl-1-hexanol was detected. This compound is commonly used in industrial applications including for flavorings and fragrances.”

BREAKING: Greater Cincinnati Water Works has decided to close its intake after it was reportedly discovered that a compound had been detected upstream.

“2-Ethyl-1-hexanol was detected. This compound is commonly used in industrial applications including for flavorings and fragrances.”

FULL RELEASE⬇️ @WLWT pic.twitter.com/b0U3Qqu2sA

— Danielle Dindak (@danielledindak) February 19, 2023

NKWD and GCWW, each of which reportedly serve hundreds of thousands of customers, said they will continue testing in coordination with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission and assured the public they have treatment processes in place. The utilities said they will rely on reserves until regulators are certain water from the Ohio River is safe.

Norfolk Southern says it is working with local, state, and federal leaders and the community affected by the derailment in East Palestine. That hasn’t stopped a number of lawsuits to accumulate as outrage grows, spurred in part by videos of showing an oily sheen from chemicals in local waterways.

Visited a local creek in East Palestine today. These waterways are still very polluted. It’s time for Norfolk Southern to finish the cleanup. Check this video out: pic.twitter.com/4lsHBmrMJj

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) February 16, 2023

After the fire went out on February 8, the Environment Protection Agency said on Tuesday its air monitoring had “not detected any levels of health concern in the community that are attributed to the train derailment.”

Ohio Republican Governor Mark DeWine’s office said Friday testing results from East Palestine’s municipal water source determined that municipal drinking water is safe to drink, but urged locals who get their water from private wells to use bottled water until their water is tested.

Also on Friday, DeWine released a joint statement with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator Thomas Sivak, announcing FEMA aid would be on the way after the Biden administration indicated the train derailment did not qualify for federal disaster aid.

“FEMA and the State of Ohio have been in constant contact regarding emergency operations in East Palestine,” the joint statement said. “U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA have been working together since day one. Tomorrow, FEMA will supplement federal efforts by deploying a Senior Response Official along with a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to support ongoing operations, including incident coordination and ongoing assessments of potential long-term recovery needs.”