East Palestine Update -- 04/28/23
(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.
Leslie Run Sediment Cleaning
Norfolk Southern will soon start the procedure for sediment cleaning in Leslie Run from East Palestine down to Bull Creek. An assessment of the sediment throughout Leslie Run conducted by Ohio EPA, US EPA, and Norfolk Southern?identified areas within Leslie Run where sediment remained impacted and the work would be beneficial to the overall cleanup and recovery process. The planned sediment cleaning will be a robust effort to further the cleanup process.? Work is expected to start as early as May.
Removal of Water Treatment Equipment from Sulphur Run
Based on favorable surface water sampling data, water treatment operations in Sulphur Run were discontinued on April 5. The next phase of the plan is to remove the equipment used for the treatment (the big water pumps, air compressors, and diffuser) from the areas along the creek.? The equipment was left in-place as a precautionary measure, to place back into operation if water quality did not show steady favorable conditions.? The plan is to remove the equipment beginning May 1.
Hazardous Waste Removal
According to the Ohio EPA, approximately 14 million gallons of liquid wastewater have been hauled out of East Palestine in total.?There is currently a pile of approximately 5,400 tons of excavated soil waiting for removal from East Palestine, versus 35,700 tons that have been removed.?
East Palestine Municipal Drinking Water
The latest drinking water results were posted this week from the East Palestine Municipal Water System and 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 shows no indication that chemicals associated with the derailment are 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 61 additional samples from private water systems as of noon Friday. Fifty-six of those wells showed no detectable contaminants. Five wells had trace detections at levels below safe drinking-water standards. There is no evidence that these trace detections are linked to the train derailment. ?In total, test results from 340 samples have been verified.
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