EPA continues informational series in East Palestine

EAST PALESTINE -- The Region 5 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will continue its public informational series on Thursday at the East Palestine Community Center located at the East Palestine City Park.

Topics for the upcoming session, which will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m., will include on-site water treatment, the indoor cleaning program and continuing remediation work in the wake of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment.

Reports of construction on a temporary water treatment plant - specifically for stormwater that comes in contact with the derailment site - was confirmed by the EPA in May.

"Norfolk Southern has brought in water treatment equipment and made a request to EPA and Ohio EPA to approve a plan for on-site treatment of water that came into contact with contaminated areas," the agency reported on its website May 23. "Currently, this water is treated as hazardous waste because it has come into contact with site contamination. The on-site treatment of this water would make it non-hazardous so that it could be potentially disposed of at more facilities and removed from the site more safely and efficiently."

The federal EPA also said that an on-site treatment "would reduce the number of water trucks and storage tanks, consolidating water management into one primary area and reducing truck traffic" and that both the state and federal EPA were reviewing Norfolk Southern's proposal to operate such a treatment facility." The Ohio Emergency Management Agency (EMA) added that the Unified Command (state and federal EPA, the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, the Village of East Palestine and the Norfolk Southern Corporation) must approve its use and if approved " the water, once treated, would be held until sampling results show that it has met treatment goals, is no longer hazardous, and can be removed from East Palestine for disposal.

According to EMA, the treatment process would be overseen by the Ohio EPA and that the facility would be removed when it is no longer needed. Only derailment waste water would be treated at the proposed plant. Currently derailment wastewater is being held in two million-gallon tanks built on North Pleasant Drive until it can be shipped off site.

The indoor cleaning program, which was directed by the Region 5 EPA, written by Norfolk Southern contractor CTEH and funded by the railroad, was announced last week. The program is offered to eligible homes and businesses in East Palestine to address potential dust emissions generated as part of the derailment and cleanup work. Owners and renters may express interest by filling out the online form at epa.gov/east-palestine-oh-train-derailment, calling the EPA hotline at 330-775-6517 or visiting the EPA Community Welcome Center located at 25 N. Market St. by Sept. 5.

Anyone in the village of East Palestine limits or within the 1- by 2-mile evacuation area in Ohio and Pennsylvania is eligible for the cleaning service.

The EPA explained on epa.gov that the program is combat dust generated from the derailment and is not meant to address concerns of chemical contamination.

"Norfolk Southern, with EPA oversight, is providing indoor cleaning to eligible occupants in response to concerns about the impact of the derailment and cleanup work on homes and places of businesses," the agency stated. "The cleaning is to address potential dust that may have been generated as part of the train derailment and cleanup work, not chemical impacts."

In other derailment news, the Region 5 EPA reports that the removal of contaminated soil and waste water continues at the derailment site and that vapor suppressants are used to address odor and vapor issues associated with excavation activities, including soil and waste stockpiling, loading and haul-off. To date, 89,506 tons of toxic dirt and other materials have been disposed of along with 29,251,784 gallons of liquid waste. The EPA resorts that "waste characterization and delineation sampling is complete in Car Scrapping Area 4 (located on south side of the tracks) in preparation for contaminated soil excavation" and that "sheet-piling activity is ongoing as needed along the south ditch area to stabilize the tracks in preparation for excavation of contaminated soils."

selverd@mojonews.com