UPDATE 10 a.m. Wednesday West Virginia American Water announced that the alternate intake on the Guyandotte River is now operational and currently supplying a majority of the water to its Huntington Water Treatment Plant.
This is a developing story
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The monitoring continues on the Ohio River where a plume of chemical from this month’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio is making its way toward Huntington.
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary Scott Mandirola said the chemical, butyl acrylate, is dissipating by the hour and is currently not at a dangerous level.
Mandirola said during an appearance Tuesday on MetroNews Talkline that the guidance value for drinking water for butyl acrylate is 560 parts per billion. He said the highest level determined so far on the Ohio is 12 parts per billion and its decreasing as it heads downstream.
“Based on the data that the agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has supplied us that would indicate that we are about 45 times lower than they would consider the level of concern for drinking water,” Mandirola said.
The plume is moving about a mile each hour and is expected to further dissipate and it moves closer to Huntington. It was near Ravenswood on Tuesday.
“The level seems to be dropping consistently as it travels downstream,” Mandirola said.
He also said air quality in connection with he derailment has been monitored in the Northern Panhandle and there are no concerns of air contamination.
Meanwhile, West Virginia American Water continues to test and monitor the river about 7 miles upstream from its Huntington intake.
“The health and safety of our customers is a priority, and there are currently no drinking water advisories in place for Huntington customers,” the company said in a Tuesday evening statement. “As of noon on February 14, source water monitoring and water quality testing have not detected any change to raw water at the company’s Ohio River intake, though as a precautionary measure, the company has enhanced its treatment processes.”
The utility’s Huntington intake only serves its Huntington customers.
“No other West Virginia American Water systems are facing potential impacts as a result of this event, including the Kanawha Valley system in Charleston,” the company said.
WVAWC completed installation Tuesday of a temporary secondary intake on the Guyandotte River. There’s now a 3,700-foot, 24” water line connecting to the secondary intake.
The state Emergency Management Division has been watching the situation since last week. It’s working with the state DEP and the state DHHR. The agencies have been in connection with the five water systems in West Virginia that get their water from the Ohio River. The Weirton PSD switched to an alternate water supply late last week out of an abundance of caution.
The state is urging residents with questions about their drinking water to contact the utility that serves their home or business. Environmental issues can be reported to the statewide spill line at 1-800-642-3074.
The state also pointed out Tuesday the water issues caused by the East Palestine derailment on the Ohio River and the issue with the water in the Wayne County community of Fort Gay are different issues. Fort Gay gets its water from the Big Sandy River.