Yesterday News blog post #1

Gabriela Tiholova
Mr. Calic
Humanities 8A
Wednesday, February 12, 2014

West Virginia has no tap water due to a chemical spill

People in West Virginia were told not to drink, cook, or wash clothes using tap water due to a chemical spill.

On Friday, January 10, 2014 more than 300 000 residents in West Virginia were told not to use tap water except flushing toilets and fighting fire. 

The reason for this was because a 4 - Methylcyclohexane Methanol (Crude MCHM), used in coal processing, leaked from a  40, 000 gallon tank into the nearby Elk River. "We don't know that water's not safe, but I can't say it is safe," said Jeff McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water Co. After trying to solve the problem Governor Earl Tomblin announced that "We are finally at the point where the 'do not use' order has been lifted".

In addition to that Tomblin declared a state of emergency for nine counties. The spill also forced the closure of schools and businesses in the state capital. A company spokeswoman said that the chemical could be harmful and could cause skin and eye irritation. Some emergency workers distributed water to centers around the affected area but it wasn't enough. "It's just ridiculous. There's nowhere to buy water and everywhere seems to be sold out. This isn't going to last two days," said Jaime Cook Charleston. Some people even considered moving out of the town for the weekend. Around 7, 500 gallons leaked from the tank but it wasn't clear exactly how much entered the water supply. There was no impact to aquatic life, wildlife or pets and no fish kills were reported. 14 people were affected by the chemical spill and were admitted to the hospital, and none were in serious condition. 

On Monday about 6, 000 to 10, 000 customers were cleared to use the water again. For the future one idea is to require tanks to be a certain distance from the river. 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/13/west-virginia-water-ban-lifted-chemical-spill

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/us-usa-westvirginia-spill-idUSBREA0902T20140110