East Palestine Update - 4/18/23
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)?The following are updates from the State of Ohio regarding remediation work at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Meeting with Norfolk Southern
Governor DeWine met with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw yesterday to discuss the progress made in East Palestine following the train derailment in February. They discussed the progress of the remediation efforts as well as the opening of the new East Liverpool City Hospital East Palestine Health Clinic. ?
Hazardous Waste Removal
According to the Ohio EPA, approximately 12.6 million gallons of liquid wastewater have been hauled out of East Palestine in total.?There is currently a pile of approximately 8,900 tons of excavated soil waiting for removal from East Palestine, versus 28,600 tons that have been removed.?
South Tracks?
The south rail line tracks now are open to commercial train traffic. The north rail tracks are expected to be removed starting on Wednesday in preparation for the removal of the impacted soil beneath. ?
East Palestine Municipal Drinking Water
The latest drinking water results?from the East Palestine Municipal Water System continue to show no indication of contaminants associated with the derailment. The public water system continues to meet all state and federal standards for safe drinking water. Sentinel and monitoring well sampling also show no indication of chemicals associated with the derailment moving toward the East Palestine well field.
Private Well Testing
The Ohio Department of Health, working with the Columbiana County Health District, has received verified laboratory results from 24 additional samples from private water systems as of noon Tuesday. Seventeen of those wells showed no detectable contaminants. Three wells had trace detections at levels below safe drinking-water standards. Four wells had trace detections that are currently being reviewed. There is no evidence that any of these trace detections are linked to the train derailment. ?In total, test results from 272 samples have been verified.
East Palestine Health Clinic
The permanent East Liverpool City Hospital East Palestine Clinic opened early this week and offers the same services as the former clinic, but will also provide traditional comprehensive primary care, including treatment, prescriptions, lab testing, and consultation with specialists where appropriate. Physicians, registered nurses, and mental health specialists will be on hand to provide services. Referrals will be made if needed.
The clinic is located at 139 North Walnut St. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Appointments are required?and can be made by calling 330-383-6020.
-30-
|
