State releases March 31 East Palestine update
The following are updates from the State of Ohio regarding remediation work at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Rail Safety Legislation
Governor Mike DeWine Friday signed House Bill 23, which includes new measures to target increased safety and transparency of Ohio’s freight and hazardous materials shipping by rail.
Provisions in the bill require two-person crews on trains and strengthen requirements for wayside detectors, which are rail devices that can detect problems in passing trains. These changes in state law will ensure that railroads operating in Ohio are following the best practices in monitoring railroad equipment and will assist the state with holding railroads responsible for their actions.
Hazardous Waste Removal
According to the Ohio EPA, approximately 9.7 million gallons of liquid wastewater have been hauled out of East Palestine in total. There is currently a pile of approximately 22,300 tons of excavated soil waiting for removal from East Palestine, versus 13,200 tons that have been removed.
Municipal Water Testing
Ohio EPA has published the latest data tables that summarize chemical detections in the weekly sampling of raw well water and treated drinking water from East Palestine’s municipal drinking water system. At this time, no chemicals associated with the derailment have been detected in either the raw or treated water. Only water that has been treated is distributed to customers.
Water Filter Donation
Ohio native Luke Grimes, known for his role on Paramount Network's “Yellowstone,” and the Jeff Ruby Family, who own and operate several dining establishments in Ohio, Friday visited East Palestine to distribute 250 water filtration devices to local residents.
“While our water is already safe to drink due to the great work by our village municipal water treatment staff and the ongoing monitoring efforts by the Ohio EPA, the generous donation of water filtration systems will provide an extra layer of protection and peace of mind for our residents," said East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway.
Private Well Testing
Water sample results from private water systems of East Palestine area homes continue to show no harmful levels of contaminants.
The Ohio Department of Health and the Columbiana County Health District received verified laboratory results from 19 additional samples from private water systems as of noon Friday. None of the wells showed detectable contaminants.
In total, test results from 207 samples have been verified, and none have shown any harmful contaminant levels associated with the derailment.
The results can be found on the Columbiana County Health Department site at https://www.columbiana-health.org/resources/.
Residents near East Palestine who would like their private water system sampled should call 330-849-3919.
Health Assessment Clinic Current Hours
The Ohio Department of Health’s Health Assessment Clinic in East Palestine, operating in partnership with the Columbiana County Health District, is currently operating on a walk-in basis. Residents should arrive at least an hour before closing to ensure there is enough time to be served.
The clinic will be open Monday and Tuesday next week from noon to 6 p.m.
The clinic is located at the First Church of Christ, 20 West Martin St. For information, call the Columbiana County Health District at 330-424-0272.
More Information and Previous Updates: ema.ohio.gov/eastpalestine