|
 The final 2 percent of the 300,000 customers affected by the spill
have now been cleared to drink and wash from their tap, said West
Virginia American Water spokeswoman Laura Jordan.
However, out of an "abundance of caution," the water utility advised
pregnant women to consider an alternative drinking water source
"until the chemical is non-detectable in the water distribution
system."
Crews have been flushing out the water system around the capital of
Charleston since January 9, when a chemical used to process coal
leaked from a massive storage container into the Elk River, the main
water source in the region.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency and local
officials issued a do-not-use advisory until testing showed levels
below the 1 part per million level safety standard set by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An investigation into the spill is under way and water sampling is
ongoing, Jordan said.
"This is a good first step," she said.
Freedom Industries, the chemical company responsible for the leak,
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, after vendors
demanded that it pay in cash, straining its finances. The filing
would also help protect the company's assets, shielding it from
lawsuits while allowing it to remain in business.
[to top of second column] |
The Freedom Industries site has not been inspected since 1991 and is
about a mile upstream from a West Virginia American Water plant, the
biggest in the state.
The company has apologized for the spill and is conducting its own
investigation into the cause of the leak.
More than 200 people reported nausea and other symptoms linked to
the tainted water supply, medical officials said.
(Reporting by Kevin Murphy; editing by Victoria Cavaliere and Steve
Orlofsky)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
