Chemical Spill Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Remembering The Elk River Chemical Spill 10 Years Later On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, ten years ago, a state of emergency and water advisory was issued for nine West Virginia counties following a chemical spill in the Elk River. We look back on that day and the effects of the past decade.

On this West Virginia Morning, ten years ago, a state of emergency and water advisory was issued for nine West Virginia counties following a chemical spill in the Elk River. Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice has more on the health effects of the past decade.

Also, in this show, the water crisis closed schools and businesses and became a national story of corporate distrust and community action, but the news reports began on the local level. Kallie Cart is now the deputy chief of staff for the state auditor’s office. Ten years ago, she was a reporter and anchor for Channel 8 out of Charleston and one of the lead journalists covering the devastating event. Cart spoke with Randy Yohe about her water crisis coverage, especially a live interview that went viral.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Months After East Palestine Derailment, Rail Safety Bill On Track For Vote

On Thursday, Capito said changes are being made to the bill, and she expects the full Senate will vote on it by the end of the year.

It’s been seven months since the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says a rail safety bill is still in the works.

Capito voted no on the Railway Safety Act when it passed the Senate Commerce Committee in May.

On Thursday, Capito said changes are being made to the bill, and she expects the full Senate will vote on it by the end of the year.

“Those issues are being negotiated right now,” she said. “I do believe there’s been commitments by, probably, Leader Schumer and others to put that bill up on to the floor.”

No one was killed or seriously injured in the February derailment in East Palestine. But the incident raised a variety of public health and safety issues the legislation could address.

Those include notification of hazardous rail shipments to first responders, improved train defect inspection and detection, and more robust tank cars for transporting flammable liquids.

W.Va. Governor: Public Not In Danger From Train Chemicals

Speaking during his regular briefing Thursday, the governor offered an update on the chemical spill from a freight train that derailed near East Palestine, Ohio nearly two weeks ago.

As a plume of chemicals slowly makes its way down the Ohio River, Gov. Jim Justice said “thus far” there is no danger to public drinking water supplies.

Speaking during his regular briefing Thursday, the governor offered an update on the chemical spill from a freight train that derailed near East Palestine, Ohio nearly two weeks ago.

Justice said the Emergency Management Division (EMD), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and the West Virginia National Guard are “on top” of the situation.

Scott Mandirola, deputy cabinet secretary for the DEP said his agency is coordinating with the Ohio River Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as it monitors the water quality of the Ohio River.

Mandirola said samples of water collected Wednesday along the Ohio River from Ravenswood to Parkersburg show low concentrations of the chemical butyl acrylate, below three parts per billion.

“These preliminary monitoring results are still well below the provisional health guidance values issued by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is 560 parts per billion for drinking water and continuing to decrease as the plume travels downstream,” he said.

He said the Greater Cincinnati Water Works is running confirmation samples to quantify concentrations.

Mandirola said the plume is estimated to reach the Huntington area by late Friday or early Saturday morning.

“The leading edge of the plume is estimated to be near mile marker 264 today on the Ohio River which is near Point Pleasant, and the mouth of the Kanawha River,” he said.

He said the influx of water from the Kanawha River and current rainfall will further help to dilute the plume as it makes its way downstream.

The DEP has air monitoring stations in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Mandirola said, so far, there have been no effects to air quality stemming from the derailment.

The U.S. EPA meanwhile continues to conduct air monitoring around the perimeter of the crash site in Ohio. Mandirola said they have not detected any concentrations of contaminants above health advisory levels.

“We know that the public is rightly concerned about this issue,” said Commissioner of the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health Matt Christianson.

He said his department has been cooperating with all of its state partners as it closely monitors the situation.

“DHHR and the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health have worked very closely with water companies as we learned of this spill and of this potential contamination and have offered guidance to those water companies as this plume has passed,” Christianson said.

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced that she fully expects the Senate and House of Representatives in Washington to hold hearings on the Ohio train derailment.

Chemical Test Results Delivered To Paint Creek Residents Following Crash

Environmental health specialists from Kanawha and Fayette counties tested wells along Paint Creek following an Aug. 24 truck crash on the West Virginia Turnpike that spilled a chemical surfactant.

In letters mailed to Paint Creek residents, the Kanawha-Charleston and Fayette County health departments said there were trace amounts of the chemical detected in 19 hand-dug or shallow wells.

The tractor trailer was carrying containers with the surfactant Empigen AS/F90 when it crashed on I-64 spilling the chemical into Skitter Creek, which flows into Paint Creek. Fayette County Health Department and Kanawha-Charleston Health Department employees sampled 19 hand-dug and shallow wells for testing.

No chemical was found beyond the detection limit of 0.3 percent. These results do not reflect the overall safety of the wells that were sampled. They only indicate that the chemical spilled was not detected above that level in the wells that were tested.

Properly constructed private wells were not impacted by the spill. Consuming water from a hand-dug or shallow well is not recommended.

“These are not safe sources of drinking water,” said Dr. Steven Eshenaur, D.O., Kanawha-Charleston Health Department’s Health Officer.

“Representatives from both the Kanawha-Charleston and Fayette County health departments worked together to ensure that hand-dug or shallow wells in the area of the chemical spill were sampled and tested. This event reminds us of the importance of working as one to protect the public health of West Virginians across county lines,” Eshenaur said.

Dr. Anita Stewart, D.O., Fayette County Health Department’s Health Officer, agreed. “Our teams at both health departments — Fayette and Kanawha-Charleston — remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of our communities, be it in response to a hazardous spill or providing resources during the latest infectious disease threat. We appreciate the patience and cooperation of the greater Paint Creek communities during this investigation.”

Empigen AS/F90 is also called cocamidopropyl dimethylamine. It is commonly used as a surfactant or antistatic agent, or in disinfectant, cosmetics or liquid dish soap. A few products listed as containing the chemical include Shaklee “Get Clean” Hand Dish Wash Liquid.

Concentrate, EWG Skin Deep Green People, Irritated Scalp Shampoo, and Paula’s Choice Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser.

Health officials said residents who have properly constructed private wells were not affected by the spill. The health departments recommend people avoid drinking water from hand-dug or shallow wells.

The West Virginia Turnpike was temporarily closed due to the crash.

West Virginia Turnpike Reopened

The West Virginia State Department of Transportation reports all lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike have reopened after a tractor-trailer carrying hazardous chemicals crashed just north of Pax near mile marker 62.

Updated at 8:30 p.m.

All lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike are open following a hazardous chemical spill that shut down the highway near Pax in Fayette County.

The accident happened in the northbound lane on the Skitter Creek Bridge just after midnight Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, when the driver lost control, jackknifed, and crossed the barrier wall. The crash blocked both northbound and southbound lanes.

The West Virginia DEP emergency response team, Pax Fire Department, West Virginia State Police, and West Virginia Parkways Authority crews contained the chemical spill early in the morning. Crews from industrial cleanup company Clean Harbors, from Nitro, arrived on site at about noon and began the chemical cleanup of the truck and roadway.

Cleanup crews were able to remove the trailer from the southbound lane and the tractor from the northbound lane and reopen the Turnpike on Thursday evening.

Updated at 12:43 p.m.

The West Virginia State Department of Transportation reports all lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike are closed Thursday morning after a tractor-trailer carrying the hazardous material, Alkyl Dimethylamine, crashed just north of Pax near mile marker 62.5.

The driver of the tractor trailer has been cited for driving under the influence (DUI).

According to officials a leak of the chemical the truck was carrying has resulted in a fish kill on Skitter Creek and further downstream on Paint Creek.

Executive Director of WV Parkways Authority Jeff Miller said the crash happened at approximately 12:30 a.m. in the northbound lane on the Skitter Creek Bridge. The driver lost control, jackknifed and crossed the barrier wall and the truck caught fire. The crash has blocked both northbound and southbound lanes.

Traffic heading north will follow Turnpike Detour A and detour at the North Beckley Exit 48 (US 19), proceed past Summersville to Interstate 79 Exit 57, then south to Charleston.

Southbound traffic will also follow Turnpike Detour A. From Charleston, traffic should follow Interstate 79 north from Charleston to Exit 57, then proceed south on US 19 to North Beckley, Exit 48.

View map of detour route.

All truck traffic should be mindful to avoid secondary roads.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s emergency response team, Pax Fire Department, West Virginia State Police, and West Virginia Parkways Authority crews are all on scene and have the spill contained. An environmental contractor is en route from Poca to begin the cleanup process.

Westbound I-64 In W.Va. Reopens After Chemical Spill

An interstate highway in West Virginia reopened Wednesday, a day after a tractor-trailer carrying a hazardous material overturned.

The truck rolled over early Tuesday on westbound Interstate 64 in Charleston. No injuries were reported. About 600 gallons of an acetone-based material spilled, destroying the highway’s pavement, the state Department of Transportation said in a news release

A contractor repaved the site. Westbound lanes of I-64 at the split with I-77 were shut down for more than 24 hours before being reopened late Wednesday morning.

“The thing that is most impressive to me is how everyone involved worked so well together,” said state Division of Highways District 1 Manager Arlie Matney.

The Division of Highways, Charleston’s police and fire departments, emergency services, the state Division of Environmental Protection and West Virginia Paving “worked seamlessly to get the road closed, set up detours, clean up and dispose of damaged asphalt and repave and restripe the section of damaged roadway,” Matney said.