Sanitation Commission, DEP: Water Quality Unchanged After Slurry Spill

State regulators say tests indicate water quality hasn’t changed following a coal slurry spill in a Kanawha River tributary.
 
The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission tested water samples Saturday through Tuesday at Huntington’s water intake on the Ohio River. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says the results indicate no water quality changes.
 
The DEP says its tests of Kanawha River samples last Thursday show water quality at acceptable levels for public water supplies and fisheries.
 
On Feb. 11, 108,000 gallons of slurry spilled into Fields Creek from Patriot Coal’s Kanawha Eagle preparation plant.
 
The DEP said Wednesday that slightly elevated levels of aluminum have been found within the affected area of Fields Creek. The agency attributes the elevated levels to materials used to remediate the site.