Tap water back on for West Virginians affected by spill

West Virginians in nine counties around the capital Charleston were notified by state officials on January 13 that a ban on use of their tap water would be lifted in phases, finally bringing some relief to the region after a chemical spill into the Elk River on Thursday, January 9, compromised a downstream water treatment plant and led to the issuance of that ban. Test results have indicated that concentrations of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, a coal-cleaning chemical that leaked from a tank on Freedom Industries property adjacent to the Elk River, are deemed to be below health risk levels, and the office of West Virginia Governor Earl Tomblin and the area’s water utility, West Virginia American Water, have begun to distribute information to water users about the detailed procedures involved in flushing their plumbing and appliance systems. As many as 300,000 people were affected by the spill, and a total of 231 people visited emergency rooms with symptoms from exposure. The site where the spill occurred, owned by specialty chemical maker Freedom Industries, has reportedly not been inspected since 1991, and because West Virginia does not require inspections of chemical storage facilities, it is not clear who will be held responsible for the incident and what, if any, penalties might be levied.