West Virginia Drinking Water Remains Safe Following an Ohio Train Derailment

Authorities and officials of West Virginia stated that drinking water in the state remains safe. This comes after a train derailment in Ohio that led to a toxic plume of chemicals being released, which are monitored as the chemicals move down the Ohio river.

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Smoke rises from a derailed cargo train in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 4, 2023. - The train accident sparked a massive fire and evacuation orders, officials and reports said Saturday. No injuries or fatalities were reported after the 50-car train came off the tracks late February 3 near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border.

Train Derailment

Fifty train cars, ten carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a crash last February 3rd in East Palestine, Ohio. As per BBC, this led to vinyl chloride being released into the air from five cars before the crews ignited, creating a dark plume of smoke.

After the incident, residents were rapidly evacuated from neighborhoods in Ohio and Pennsylvania due to health risks from the fumes. While the chemicals move down the Ohio river, they are not affecting the drinking water supply.

State Health Officer Matt Christensen stated, "We have not had any reports of this substance entering the water supply in any affected areas, and no water advisories are being issued at this time."

Testing Water Samples

Associated Press reported that water samples were collected along the Ohio River from Ravenswood to Parkersburg, West Virginia, last Wednesday. This is about 170 miles or 270 kilometers southwest of East Palestine. The results found butyl acrylate at levels below three parts per billion.

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Cabinet Secretary Scott Mandirola stated that this is one of the chemicals from the derailment and added that the federal guidance for drinking water has limits of 560 parts per billion.

Meanwhile, Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Terry Fletcher stated that vinyl chloride is one of the chemicals being tested. As of the moment, there are no detectable levels have been identified.

The West Virginia Emergency Management has been giving updates as they continuously monitor the water quality and air quality after the train derailment. As per their website, the recent sampling results showed concentrations under two parts per billion.

This is currently well under the provisional health guidance issued by the Agency Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Bureau for Public Health also worked with water systems in West Virginia to recommend changing water supplies, in an effort to preempt any potential effects as necessary. But there are no active drinking water advisories issued as of the moment.

ABC News reported that a utility company in the area temporarily switch its water drinking source as a precaution. The company opted for Guyandotte River for the Huntington area, installing pumping equipment and above-ground water lines.