Tag: Water Testing

WV TAP Researchers Say Initial Sample Collection Complete, Need Additional Funds

The two scientists leading the West Virginia Testing Assessment Project, or WV TAP, following the Jan. 9 chemical spill into the Elk River near Charleston provided an update on the project Friday. The briefing was held in a Department of Health and Human Resources conference room in downtown Charleston.

Dr. Andrew Whelton and Jeffrey Rosen spoke to reporters and said they have completed gathering samples of 10 homes across the area affected. Samples from both hot and cold water were taken.

The researchers said they have collected 900 samples, with 600 to be tested. The additional 300 will be stored in case of breakage during transport.

The samples being used will be tested in labs in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and California, Whelton said.

Governor Tomblin initially budgeted $650,000 for the project, but researchers requested an additional $112,000 to cover unanticipated costs. A spokesperson for Gov. Tomblin confirmed the request for additional funds has been approved.

The independent project is seeking to determine the odor threshold, as well as review the safety level of MCHM that was determined by state officials after the spill.

The odor threshold study is being conducted by Dr. Michael J. McGuire and Dr. Mel Suffet. Expert and consumer panels will be conducted, said Rosen.

A panel of experts to study the risks of exposure to MCHM is still being formed.

Whelton said the project will remain independent of the government and results of the study will not be handed over to state officials. He said the cooperation of the state is mainly limited to use of state facilities for news conferences, such as Friday’s.

A larger sample of homes is expected to be tested in the future, also as part of the WV TAP program. 

Researchers said results from the pilot study of 10 homes are expected in one to three weeks and will be posted online at: wvtapprogram.com.

WVAM Using More Rigorous Water Testing Standard

A news release from West Virginia American Water Thursday said all points of testing throughout the water distribution system show levels of MCHM below 10 parts per billion.

Crude MCHM is the chemical that leaked from a Freedom Industries site on the Elk River contaminating the drinking water of 300,000 West Virginians in 9 counties.

The 10 ppb threshold was established by a state interagency team based on the measuring capabilities of multiple laboratories used during the response to the Jan. 9 spill.

That level is 100 times lower than the 1 parts per million level deemed safe by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

West Virginian American Water President Jeff McIntyre said in the release the company has continued to test their water since the spill, and beginning Feb. 14, they have been working with labs to measure levels as low as 2 parts per billion to address the odor issues.

“We share our customer’s concern and anger over the impact the Freedom Industries spill has had on our
community,” McIntyre said. “We know that odor has added to their concern, regardless of levels, and we will continue to flush our distribution system to help address this issue.”

The company said test results at the treatment plant are below 2ppb and only 4 samples throughout the distribution system have shown results above that level.

McIntyre said the additional efforts are solely to address odor issues and are not related to any concern regarding the health thresholds set by the CDC.

Test results of both the raw water in the Elk River and the treated water coming from the Charleston treatment plant have been below the 1ppm level since Jan. 18, McIntyre said.
 

The release also said:

West Virginia American Water customers may have or will shortly see credits on their bill. These credits are marked in a line entitled Flushing Credit and will be reflected on bills received from mid-February to mid-March depending on when meters were read.

Department of Education Says Gov. Tomblin Taking Proactive Steps to Ensure Student Safety

The West Virginia Department of Education said through a news release that they are working with the West Virginia National Guard following a directive from Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. Tomblin has called for additional water testing to confirm that all schools in the counties impacted by the chemical leak on Jan. 9 are under 2 parts per billion (ppb).

 
“We have been testing water in all of our schools at the governor’s more stringent level of 10 parts per billion which is 100 times more rigorous than Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s  recommend level of 1 part per million,” said Adjutant General James Hoyer in the release.

“After testing thousands of lab samples, chemists can now confidently test at 2ppb.  This additional safety factor is one more example of how the governor has gone above and beyond the federal recommendations to bring added confidence to parents, students and staff to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he added.
 
It is expected that the testing will occur over the weekend and results should be back by mid-week. Any school that tests above the two parts per billion will be re-flushed and retested. Moving forward, the Rapid Response Team established earlier this month to address issues in schools will continue to answer and investigate calls.
 
“Student safety continues to be our top priority,” said Gov. Tomblin. “As a parent, I understand that families need the additional peace of mind that comes with this testing.”
 
In the meantime, schools will continue to provide hand sanitizer and bottled water for drinking and cooking, according to the release.

“We are taking every precaution because we know that parents trust us to keep their children safe,” said Jim Phares, West Virginia Superintendent of Schools.

On The Legislature Today on Tuesday, February 18, Phares said he doesn’t know of any plans for the Rapid Response Team, which includes a member of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Division Air Quality, to begin testing the air quality in schools.  The smell and fumes in school is what is believed to be linked to symptoms of burning eyes and noses, as well as fainting.

In-Home Testing After Elk River Chemical Spill Launches

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Tuesday the West Virginia Testing Assessment Project for residents in the nine counties affected by the Jan. 9 chemical spill into Elk River.

The project, which will make use of $650,000 from the state budget according to Tomblin, will be conducted by independent scientific experts under the direction of Dr.  Andrew Whelton, assistant professor of environmental engineering at the University of South Alabama, and Corona Environmental Consulting.

Gov. Tomblin said West Virginia American Water president Jeff McIntyre offered financial support for the WV TAP project but no money from the company has been accepted.

Both Tomblin and Whelton referred to the project as “unprecedented.”

Whelton said the project has three main objectives:

1. To convene an international panel of experts to examine the West Virginia safety factor of 10 ppb MCHM drinking water screening level.

2. Determine the drinking water odor threshold for MCHM.

"This action is important because it is possible that people that can detect MCHM odors at concentrations less than the sensitivity of labratory instruments," said Whelton.

3. Conduct a focused drinking water residential sampling study. 

  • Whelton said this will begin with a sampling of 10 homes across the nine counties affected (one per county, except for two in Kanawha Co.).
  • These 10 homes were selected with help from non-profits in the area, he said.
  • Testing will begin Wednesday and will take three weeks to complete.
  • Results will be released directly to homeowners as part of this study but, there will be an effort to provide this information to the public.
  • Whelton says those involved will not be reporting to the Department of Health & Human Resources or other government agency to ensure the independent nature of the project.

Whelton also noted plans for a larger scaled testing project to include a sample “much greater than 100 homes” as a continuation of the study. He also suggested the need for animal toxicity studies on MCHM as well as medical monitoring for those affected by the incident.

Gov. Tomblin Considers In-Home Water Testing

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is evaluating options to test tap water in people’s homes after last month’s chemical spill.
 
     After the Jan. 9 chemical spill, officials have based testing at the West Virginia American Water treatment plant and various other spots across the affected region.
 
     House Speaker Tim Miley and Minority Leader Tim Armstead urged Tomblin to start representative sampling in homes across the affected nine-county area. The two lawmakers suggested making West Virginia American Water pay for the tests. But they want the state to conduct the testing.
 
     At a news conference, Tomblin said he had no plans to conduct testing for all 300,000 West Virginians affected by the spill, which spurred a water-use ban for days.
 
     But Tomblin said he would be “happy to consider” taking representative samples.
 

Tests Show Presence of MCHM at Five W.Va. Schools

Tests conducted more than two weeks after a chemical spill tainted the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians show the presence of the chemical remains in five schools.
 
     The state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Friday released the results of water samples taken at 83 schools in five counties.
 
     The chemical that spilled Feb. 9 from Freedom Industries was present in tests at Andrew Heights Elementary, George Washington High School and John Adams Middle School in Kanawha County; Buffalo High School in Putnam County; and Lincoln County High School.
 
     The tests conducted Tuesday and Wednesday don’t detect levels of crude MCHM below 10 parts per billion, and 78 samples are listed as “non detected.” No results were released for samples taken at 24 other schools.
 

Update: Friday, January 31, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.

In a news release issued Friday afternoon, state Department of Education officials say they are working closely with schools whose water tested positive for MCHM and the West Virginia National Guard are conducting another round of flushing.

“It is important for students, parents and educators to understand that the five schools highlighted by the most recent round of testing were well below the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommended level, but were not yet at the more stringent screening level that the interagency team was directed to achieve beyond the CDC guidelines,” said West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Jim Phares.

The release state that this second round of flushing is to achieve a non-detect level, below 10 parts per billion, which is 100 times more rigorous than the 1 part per million screening level provided by the CDC for protecting public health.

The news release also states that hand sanitizer, bottled water and food preparation with bottled water will continue to be used in impacted county schools until the schools have been cleared below 10 parts per billion.
 

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