B
y the time you read this article, the chemical
spill that pretty much shut down a city
of 300,000 people for over a week and
threatened the drinking water of several other
large cities downstream will be becoming a
distant memory. Unfortunately, that is usually
how things happen - until a disaster occurs
and headlines are made, potential problems
are out of sight and out of mind. Thankfully,
though many people became sick, no one has
died from the effects of the spill at Freedom
Industries, Inc. in Charleston, WV, on January
9, 2014, and there supposedly should be no
long term health effects. Even so, much
revenue has been lost, many lives have been
seriously disrupted, and as I write this on
January 23, 2014, numerous lawsuits have
been filed. And three weeks after the spill,
though officials have deemed the water safe to
drink, they are once again distributing bottled
water because of the lingering smell and
public concern. Health experts are skeptical,
and it seems there are still many unanswered
questions about the safety of the water, and
the long term health effects to humans from
the chemical spilled. Also, I have heard
no one mention what effect the spill might
have on wildlife in the area. I don’t know if
anything, including stiffer regulations, more
frequent inspections of the facility, or a Source
Water Protection Plan could have prevented
this disaster. One has to wonder how this
industry was allowed to establish itself just
upstream from the surface water intake of
the largest water producer in the state who
provided drinking water to nine counties, in
the first place. Regardless, I could not miss
the opportunity to further the discussion about
the spill and to remind water systems that we
provide guidance in developing Source Water
and Wellhead Protection Plans. While having
an approved protection Plan in place will
By Debbie Maner
West Virginia Chemical Spill and
Source Water Protection
10
NCRWA.COM |
Spring 2014
feature
