Chemical spillsW.Va. residents still wary about their drinking water
The January 2014 chemical spill in West Virginia, which contaminated the drinking water of 300,000 residents, has changed how residents use public water. Authorities claimed the water was safe for consumption on 13 January, since MCHM levels had dropped below a federal safety threshold of one part per million. Residents remain skeptical, with some collecting rain water, and other relying on clean water distributed by non-profits.
The January 2014 chemical spill in West Virginia, which contaminated the drinking water of 300,000 residents, has changed how residents use public water. Charleston’s Scott McMillion only uses the public water supply for flushing toilets. Unsure whether public water is safe to drink, McMillion is now teaching other residents how to gather and purify rainwater as a drinking source.
“When tests from my home come back clear, then I will use the water,” said McMillion, founder of Charleston Rain Catchers, a group that teaches people to collect rainfall in containers and filter it. “My family’s concern is that there doesn’t seem to be hard science to tell us what long-term effects there are to this chemical exposure.”
The Washington Times reports that Paul Sheridan, an attorney in Charleston, is one of many locals who have filed formal complaints with the Public Service Commission, contesting recent water bills. “If you buy a quart of milk from the store and get it home and discover it is spoiled, the grocery has a responsibility to give you a refund,” he said.
Susan Small, a spokesman for the agency, said the commission can review bills and determine if recalculation is needed.
The 9 January 2014 incident involved 10,000 gallons of crude MCHM, a chemical used in coal production, spilling into a drinking water intake in the Elk River. Authorities claimed the water was safe for consumption on 13 January, since MCHM levels had dropped below a federal safety threshold of one part per million. Residents remain skeptical, and since state and federal grants for water distribution ended last month, several non-profit organizations are offering water to affected communities. The West Virginia Clean Water Hub has distributed about 17,000 gallons of water since the spill occurred.
Scott Smith, chief scientist for the national non-profit environmental group Water Defense, said residents have a reason to be concerned about MCHM levels in their water supply. There is little public information about the environmental effects of MCHM. “It should never have been allowed to be used in the industry without independent testing and study and should never have been stored within a mile of a water intake,” he said.
MCHM does not disperse or dilute evenly, so the entire depth of the Elk River, from surface to sediments on the bottom, should be tested Smith noted. Such a spill could occur in other states since millions of gallons of MCHM are being stored throughout the country near coal processing plants.
