The city of Cincinnati shut off its local water supply from the Ohio River following the train derailment and chemical spill in eastern Palestine, Ohio.
The local government announced its decision on Friday:
As a precaution, GCWW will close the Ohio River intake prior to the expected arrival of the last detectable chemical concentration in the river. While the water intake is shut off, GCWW will temporarily switch to water supplies.
“Our municipal administration is prepared for this type of event. I understand the concern and I am confident that temporarily closing the Ohio River water intake is the best decision,” City Manager Sheryl Long said. “There is no risk that our water supplies will contain contaminants from the derailment site, and tapping into these supplies will give us all peace of mind. I want to thank GCWW, who are truly the best of the best, and state that I have full confidence in their decision-making and their ability to keep us safe.
Out of an abundance of caution, @GCWW will close the Ohio River intake and temporarily switch to water supplies. GCWW continues to monitor the situation to keep your water safe. Learn more and view up-to-date water test results: https://t.co/YVgEQJCnac pic.twitter.com/1DZp4ZnFtS
— City of Cincinnati (@CityOfCincy) February 17, 2023
The City of Cincinnati and Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) – the city’s water sanitation authority – said its supplies “are free of contaminants from the train derailment” and will monitor quality of water from the Ohio River to determine the time for safe resumption of the socket.
The GCWW said it “plans to use additional optimized treatment once intakes reopen, even if no chemicals are detected”.
This video screenshot released by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, USA. (NTSB/Handout via Xinhua)
On Sunday, the city released a statement regarding its Ohio River water testing:
Some of the wagons were carrying industrial chemicals and low levels of butyl acrylate are believed to have leaked into the Ohio River from a small creek about 300 miles north of Cincinnati. To date, GCWW has tested approximately 159 water samples since the date of the derailment at GCWW’s Ohio River water intake.
The tests involved four chemicals – butyl acrylate, vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and ethylhexyl acrylate. Chemicals are used in industrial processes, including the production of lacquers, enamels, inks, adhesives, paint thinners and industrial cleaners. So far, these chemicals have not been detected in intake samples.
GCWW continued to sample the Ohio River. In river samples taken upstream from GCWW water intakes and analyzed on Sunday morning, a compound called 2-Ethyl-1-hexanol was detected. This compound is commonly used in industrial applications, especially for flavors and perfumes. Testing of water taken from GCWW intake did not indicate a detectable concentration of this compound.
As a precaution, GCWW closed the water intake at 2 a.m. Sunday. We will continue to monitor the flow of the river and make a decision in the future on when it will reopen.
More information and updated test results: https://t.co/Y7remP5QWI #GCWW #SafeAndHealthy #H20 #CityOfCincinnati pic.twitter.com/LskBz3s9qz— Cincinnati Water (@CincinnatiWater) February 19, 2023
The GCWW added that it would adjust its treatment of water from the Ohio River when the inflow resumes to remove the chemicals mentioned above.
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter @rkraychik.
Breitbart
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