Tag: Ohio River

Ohio Jury to Decide Suit Over Chemical DuPont Put in Water

Jurors are deliberating in the federal case of an Ohio woman who says she got cancer after drinking water contaminated by a chemical from a DuPont plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia.

It’s one of two test cases that could influence thousands of similar lawsuits about the chemical giant’s discharging of C8 into the Ohio River and drinking water.

The Columbus Dispatch reports jurors heard closing arguments Tuesday.

Attorneys for Guysville resident Carla Bartlett argue Delaware-based DuPont long knew about C8 risks but downplayed or hid that from the public. They say DuPont tested the blood of employees who worked with C8.

DuPont attorney Damon Mace told jurors that workers drank the same water as residents. He says: “Just because C8 is capable of causing cancer doesn’t mean it did.”

Health Advisory Lifted in Huntington Over Blue-Green Algae

Officials in Huntington have lifted a health advisory along the Ohio River for algae that had turned the waters a bluish green.

The Cabell-Huntington Health Department said in a statement Thursday that residents no longer have to avoid contact with the river because the algae’s presence has been reduced.

County health director Dr. Michael Kilkenny says algae toxin levels have been consistently below the established threshold for a sufficient amount of time.

State health officials first issued an advisory along the river in early September.

Algae Blooms Discovered Near West Virginia Reach Cincinnati

A swim across the Ohio River from Cincinnati to northern Kentucky and back has been postponed because of toxic algae blooms found in the river.

Brewster Rhoads is swim chair and a volunteer for the sustainability organization Green Umbrella. He told The Cincinnati Enquirer it’s hoped any health threat will be gone by the tentative new date of Oct. 10.

Proceeds from the Great Ohio River Swim are used to promote the organization’s website for outdoor events and venues for adults and children in the region.

The Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission says the blooms were first discovered on the river last month in West Virginia and now can be found into parts of Kentucky. A recreation advisory has been in effect since earlier this month.

Wheeling to Boost Backup Water System, Drill Two More Wells

The city of Wheeling plans to boost its backup well water system’s capacity by drilling two additional wells.

City manager Robert Herron says the new wells will allow the system to pump an additional 1 million gallons of water per day. The system’s existing five wells can pump about 4 million gallons per day.

Herron tells The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register that the new wells were planned before a blue-green algae bloom prompted the city’s water treatment plant to close its Ohio River intakes for several days in August.

He says the intakes’ closure didn’t interrupt service to water customers.

Plan for Backup Water Supply Underway in Huntington

West Virginia American Water says it has initiated a contingency plan for a temporary backup water supply to its Huntington water treatment plant in response to increasing algae blooms on the Ohio River.

The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission notified the utility last week that algae blooms had been detected on the river upstream of Huntington.

The water company says in a news release the plan includes connecting large, temporary raw water lines from the Guyandotte River into the company’s raw water line.

The company says it will continue to monitor water quality upstream and at the Huntington treatment plant.

Company President Jeff McIntyre says the backup source may not be needed, but precautions are being taken for customers’ protection in the event that the algae blooms worsen.

Wheeling and Ohio County Water Conservation Order Lifted

Residents and businesses in Ohio County and Wheeling can resume normal water usage following the dissipation of algae in the Ohio River.Authorities on…

Residents and businesses in Ohio County and Wheeling can resume normal water usage following the dissipation of algae in the Ohio River.

Authorities on Sunday lifted a water conservation order issued last week.

The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reports that the order was prompted by high levels of blue-green algae near the Wheeling water system’s river intakes. The city closed the intakes and used water from wells until the algae dissipated.

Water department superintendent David Nickerson tells the newspaper that no algae have been detected in river water coming through the intakes. But he says local officials will continue monitoring for the presence of algae in the water.

Residents are advised to use caution when swimming or engaging in other recreational activities in the river.

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