Hum Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 As hundreds of thousands of people in West Virginia enter a third full day without clean tap water following a chemical spill, frustrations are beginning to mount. Most visitors have cleared out of Charleston while locals are either staying home or driving out of the area to find somewhere they can get a hot meal or a shower. Meanwhile, business owners with empty dining rooms and quiet aisles of merchandise around West Virginia's capital were left to wonder how much of an economic hit they'll take from the chemical spill.State officials said late Saturday that water sample test results must consistently show that the chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol's presence in the public water system is at or below 1 part per million, the level recommended by federal agencies, before residents can turn on their taps again, West Virginia American Water President Jeff McIntyre said Saturday at a news conference.Officials said that water samples were "trending in that direction," and most were below that level, but flushing would not begin until readings were under the 1 part per million level for a 24-hour period. More than 100 more samples were due to be tested overnight.State officials said Saturday they believe about 7,500 gallons leaked from a Freedom Industries plant in Charleston. Some of the chemical, a foaming agent used in coal processing, was contained before flowing into the Elk River; it's not clear exactly how much entered the water supply.Meanwhile, 800,000 liters of fresh water were scheduled to be shipped into the affected area Saturday and Sunday night.Residents in nine counties were told to not drink, bathe in, or wash their dishes or clothes with their water, which could only be used for flushing toilets. The order applies to about 300,000 people.Virtually every restaurant was closed Saturday, unable to use water to prepare food, wash dishes or clean employees' hands. Meanwhile, hotels had emptied and foot traffic was down at many retail stores.more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liana Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Is Freedom Industries going to be held liable financially, and not just responsible for cleaning up their mess? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkMan Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Is Freedom Industries going to be held liable financially, and not just responsible for cleaning up their mess? I'm not sure the government is in a position where they want to bankrupt more American industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User6060 Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Vest Virginia, you risk spilling toxic chemicals in your drinking water to support polluting the air you breath with coal emissions. Aren't humans smart. Even if you don't believe in climate change can't people people get behind not polluting where they live? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordkanin Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 And on the same day.... The House passed the Reducing Excessive Deadline Obligations Act that would ultimately eliminate requirements for the Environmental Protection Agency to review and update hazardous-waste disposal regulations in a timely manner, and make it more difficult for the government to compel companies that deal with toxic substances to carry proper insurance for cleanups, pushing the cost on to taxpayers. http://rt.com/usa/hazardous-toxic-waste-law-445/ You can't make this stuff up.... User6060 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaphat (Myles Landwehr) Member Posted January 12, 2014 Member Share Posted January 12, 2014 I found out the other day that WV has a nice track record for superfund and RCRA locations. One of which use to be the location of my bus stop as a child. They only found out there was an issue after the company went belly up and left toxic chemicals to deteriorate in vats there in '99. A nice chunk of incorrectly disposed of barrels filled with toxic chemicals also was exposed when a flood unearthed them and they surfaced as debris on the Ohio river. Also, I distinctly recall the stench of chemicals from one of the RCRA locations as you drove out of town (apparently getting their act together meant letting the 'safety violations' emanate into the air). It boggles my mind that regulations are so poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts