State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia after Chemical Spill

UPDATED

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300,000 People without water as chemical pollutes Elk River in
Charleston

Governor Tomblin has declared a State of Emergency for nine counties in West Virginia following a major spill of 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, a chemical used in the coal industry, along the Elk River in Charleston.

Tomblin has urged the residents NOT to use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing.

“West Virginians in the affected service areas are urged NOT to use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing. Right now, our priorities are our hospitals, nursing homes, and schools,” said Gov. Tomblin in a statement.

The State of Emergency Declaration is for Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, and Roane counties.  “This declaration follows a notice from West Virginia American Water Company that its water supply had become contaminated.  Residents served by Lincoln PSD, Queen Shoals PSD, Reamer PSD, City of Culloden PSD, and City of Hurricane PSD are also affected.” according to the WV State website.

A DEP spokesperson said the chemical was 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, a “sudsing agent,”  which is used in the processing of coal.

School Closures

Schools were ordered closed in  Boone,  Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln and Putnam counties as of 10 p.m. Thursday, officials said.

Tomblin said the state of emergency would stay until the state Department of Health and Human Resources, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the water company say the water is safe.

“It could take some time, they can’t tell us how long it will take, to get the system flushed clean because some of these pipes go out as far as 60 miles.” He said.

Freedom Industries

The Chemical leak from Freedom Industries occurred upstream of the intake at the Kanawha Valley water treatment—the largest in West Virginia—and has resulted in a tap water ban for at least 100,000 homes and businesses, or about 300,000 people, said West Virginia American Water.

Freedom Industries describes itself as “a full service producer of specialty chemicals for the mining, steel, and cement industries.” The company was founded in 1986 in Charleston, WV, according to the company website.

Freedom Industries Etowah River Terminal.  The terminal is a liquid bulk storage and distribution facility servicing the Port of Charleston, West Virginia. The terminal is located on the Elk River, 2.5 miles from the Kanawha River in Downtown Charleston. Etowah River Terminal operates 13 bulk tanks with a total liquid storage capacity of 4,000,000 gallons. Source: http://www.freedom-industries.com/

The company says it is a “leading producer of freeze conditioning agents, dust control palliatives, flotation reagents, water treatment polymers and other specialty chemicals.”

State of Emergency in West Virginia

01-10-14 @ 12:48AM

The White House has approved Gov. Tomblin’s request for a federal emergency declaration to assist with the situation in affected areas.

01-09-14 @ 9:32PM

GOVERNOR TOMBLIN DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN 9 COUNTIES
Water to be available through the county offices of emergency services

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin this evening issued a State of Emergency for Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, and Roane counties.  This declaration follows a notice from West Virginia American Water Company that its water supply had become contaminated.  Residents served by Lincoln PSD, Queen Shoals PSD, Reamer PSD, City of Culloden PSD, and City of Hurricane PSD are also affected.

“West Virginians in the affected service areas are urged NOT to use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing,” Gov. Tomblin said.  “Right now, our priorities are our hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.  I’ve been working with our National Guard and Office of Emergency Services in an effort to provide water and supplies through the county emergency services offices as quickly as possible.”

State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia due to Chemical Spill

300,000 People without water as 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol pollutes Elk River

Governor Tomblin has declared a State of Emergency for nine counties in West Virginia following a major spill of 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, a chemical used in the coal industry, along the Elk River in Charleston.

Tomblin has urged the residents NOT to use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing.

“West Virginians in the affected service areas are urged NOT to use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing. Right now, our priorities are our hospitals, nursing homes, and schools,” said Gov. Tomblin in a statement.

The State of Emergency Declaration is for Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, and Roane counties.  “This declaration follows a notice from West Virginia American Water Company that its water supply had become contaminated.  Residents served by Lincoln PSD, Queen Shoals PSD, Reamer PSD, City of Culloden PSD, and City of Hurricane PSD are also affected.” according to the WV State website.

A DEP spokesperson said the chemical was 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, a “sudsing agent,”  which is used in the processing of coal.

Freedom Industries

The Chemical leak from Freedom Industries occurred upstream of the intake at the Kanawha Valley water treatment—the largest in West Virginia—and has resulted in a tap water ban for at least 100,000 homes and businesses, or about 300,000 people, said West Virginia American Water.

Freedom Industries describes itself as “a full service producer of specialty chemicals for the mining, steel, and cement industries.” The company was founded in 1986 in Charleston, WV, according to the company website.

Freedom Industries Etowah River Terminal.  The terminal is a liquid bulk storage and distribution facility servicing the Port of Charleston, West Virginia. The terminal is located on the Elk River, 2.5 miles from the Kanawha River in Downtown Charleston. Etowah River Terminal operates 13 bulk tanks with a total liquid storage capacity of 4,000,000 gallons. Source: http://www.freedom-industries.com/

The company says it is a “leading producer of freeze conditioning agents, dust control palliatives, flotation reagents, water treatment polymers and other specialty chemicals.”

State of Emergency in West Virginia

01-10-14 @ 12:48AM

The White House has approved Gov. Tomblin’s request for a federal emergency declaration to assist with the situation in affected areas.

01-09-14 @ 9:32PM

GOVERNOR TOMBLIN DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN 9 COUNTIES
Water to be available through the county offices of emergency services

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin this evening issued a State of Emergency for Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, and Roane counties.  This declaration follows a notice from West Virginia American Water Company that its water supply had become contaminated.  Residents served by Lincoln PSD, Queen Shoals PSD, Reamer PSD, City of Culloden PSD, and City of Hurricane PSD are also affected.

“West Virginians in the affected service areas are urged NOT to use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing,” Gov. Tomblin said.  “Right now, our priorities are our hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.  I’ve been working with our National Guard and Office of Emergency Services in an effort to provide water and supplies through the county emergency services offices as quickly as possible.”

 

Fracking Fluid Likely Killed Threatened Kentucky Fish: USGS

Hydraulic fracturing fluids probably caused widespread death of aquatic species in Acorn Fork, KY

Hydraulic fracturing fluids were probably responsible for the “widespread death or distress of aquatic species” in Kentucky’s Acorn Fork creek. The spilling occurred in the nearby natural gas well sites, according to a joint study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Acorn Fork, a small Appalachian creek, is habitat for the federally threatened Blackside dace, a small colorful minnow. The Acorn Fork is designated by Kentucky as an Outstanding State Resource Waters.

“Our study is a precautionary tale of how entire populations could be put at risk even with small-scale fluid spills,” said USGS scientist Diana Papoulias, the study’s lead author. “This is especially the case if the species is threatened or is only found in limited areas, like the Blackside dace is in the Cumberland.”

The Blackside dace typically lives in small, semi-isolated groups, so harmful events run the risk of completely eliminating a local population. The species is primarily threatened with loss of habitat.

After the spill of hydraulic fracturing fluid, state and federal scientists observed a significant die-off of aquatic life in Acorn Fork including the Blackside dace as well as several more common species like the Creek chub and Green sunfish. They had been alerted by a local resident who witnessed the fish die-off. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are currently working towards restoration of the natural resources that were injured by the release.

Water and fish samples collected immediately following the chemical spill in 2007 clearly showed that the hydraulic fracturing fluids significantly degraded water quality in Acorn Fork causing the fish to grow gill lesions, and suffer liver and spleen damage.

“This is an example of how the smallest creatures can act as a canary in a coal mine,” said Tony Velasco, Ecologist for the Fish and Wildlife office in Kentucky, who coauthored the study, and initiated a multi-agency response when it occurred in 2007. “These species use the same water as we do, so it is just as important to keep our waters clean for people and for wildlife.”

The gill lesions were consistent with exposure to acidic water and toxic concentrations of heavy metals. These results matched water quality samples from Acorn Fork that were taken after the spill.

After the fracturing fluids entered Acorn Fork Creek, the water’s pH dropped from 7.5 to 5.6, and stream conductivity increased from 200 to 35,000 microsiemens per centimeter. A low pH number indicates that the creek had become more acidic, and the stream conductivity indicated that there were higher levels of dissolved elements including iron and aluminum.

Blackside dace are found only in the Cumberland River basin of Kentucky and Tennessee and the Powell River basin of Virginia, and are listed as a federally-threatened species since 1987.

Hydraulic fracturing is the most common method for extracting natural gas in Kentucky.

The report is entitled “Histopathological Analysis of Fish from Acorn Fork Creek, Kentucky Exposed to Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Releases,” and is published in the scientific journal Southeastern Naturalist, in a special edition devoted to the Blackside dace.