Photo Credit: Fox News
By Fox News.
The federal government said Friday it will open an investigation into a West Virginia chemical spill that shut down much of the state’s capital and put 300,000 residents at risk.
Schools and restaurants closed, grocery stores sold out of bottled water, and state legislators who had just started their session canceled the day’s business after a chemical spill in the Elk River in Charleston, even as the extent of the danger remained unclear.
The federal government joined the state early Friday in declaring a disaster and announced an investigation into the spill, while the West Virginia National Guard planned to distribute bottled drinking water to emergency services agencies in the nine affected counties.
Shortly after the Thursday spill from Freedom Industries hit the river and a nearby treatment plant, a licorice-like smell enveloped parts of the city, and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued an order to customers of West Virginia American Water: Do not drink, bathe, cook or wash clothes with tap water.
Freedom Industries says it doesn’t know how much of a chemical spilled from its plant in Charleston into the Elk Rive, but that it’s working to contain the leak and prevent further contamination.
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Chemical levels in West Virginia water drop, but still no end in sight to ban
By Greg Botelho and Tom Watkins.
The level of odorous chemical in West Virginians’ water dropped Friday, but not enough for authorities to lift a warning to avoid drinking, cooking or bathing with it or to give a clear idea as to when things will change.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin described the situation in nine counties Friday night as “pretty bad,” both for residents being told the only thing they should do with their running water is flush their toilets and schools, restaurants, hotels and other businesses forced to close.
One bit of good news is tests on the affected water supply, which are being conducted on an hourly basis, show “the chemical level is declining.”
“But we’re just not sure exactly how long it’s going to take before it’s acceptable to lift the do-not-drink ban,” the governor told CNN.
Much of the anger centers around the coal-industry company from which the chemical leak occurred. And there’s also frustration among some — including Danny Jones, the mayor of West Virginia’s most populated city and capital, Charleston — that the water company trying to deal with the resulting mess still doesn’t have a timeline for when things will return to normal.
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