It was more than 24 hours after a chemical leak contaminated the drinking water of nine counties in West Virginia before the public heard from the company responsible.
Freedom Industries President Gary Southern started by apologizing to West Virginians who find themselves without water because of the incident at his business. He said the company has already begun the remediation process at their Charleston site and is taking extreme precautions to make sure no more of the chemical leaks into the water system.
In a prepared statement and in response to questions from the media, Southern said:
– The company discovered the leak at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and began working to contain and remove it.
– The chemical contents of the leaking storage tank have been completely removed from the site. The company is now working to determine how much of it leaked from the tank into the dirt surrounding and ultimately the river.
– The remaining contaminated soil is in the process of being removed from the facility and taken to a storage area.
– Southern maintains the material is of low-toxicity and not harmful to aquatic life.
– The company has no estimated timeline for when the issue will be completely resolved.
Southern said he hopes to have more information about the amount of the chemical that leaked by tomorrow.