MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The Berkeley County Public Service Water District will close its Potomac River intake when latex that spilled from a paper mill last week travels through the area.
The product that spilled is not a hazardous chemical under U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines and is a synthetic latex, so should not pose an allergy threat.
The spill occurred Sept. 23 when a 26,500-gallon storage tank that was being filled from a railroad tank car at the mill and a worker failed to close the line.
As a result, almost 10,000 gallons of a 50-50 mixture of water and styrene-butadiene flowed into the mill’s sewer and through a wastewater treatment plant into the Potomac River’s North Branch.
New calculations based off of a model provided by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin estimates the spill will reach Berkeley County around midnight Oct. 5.
The Journal reports the district is asking customers, especially those who use large volumes of water, for a voluntary cutback.
The district will also purchase water from the City of Martinsburg if necessary.