EAST PALESTINE — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced on Monday $2 million in secured funds to test private wells downstream from the site of last year’s train derailment.

“My job is to always fight for Ohio communities and this investment is thanks to the residents of Columbiana County who spoke up and raised concerns about their drinking water,” said Brown. “We will continue fighting for this community and we’ll keep asking and listening and making sure they get what they need. I am here for the long haul.”

According to a press release from Brown’s office the East Palestine Derailment Response — Residential Well Sampling Project was secured by Brown secured by Brown in the recent bipartisan government funding package and will help ensure the safety of residential well water in Columbiana County is safe to drink where municipal water is not available.

The project will provide the Columbiana County Health District with oversight and the funds to conduct sampling for 250 residential wells and operate the residential sampling program using an independent laboratory and local agency staff. This project aims to provide confidence and transparency for the residents by deploying local personnel instead of a corporate contractor hired by Norfolk Southern, the press release stated.

Columbiana Health Commissioner Dr. Wesley Vins said the funds will help support ongoing well-testing efforts.

“The Columbiana County Health District is extremely grateful for this funding opportunity to expand the work we have been doing alongside our local, state, and federal partners to ensure the families and businesses of the East Palestine area have safe drinking water,” Vins said. “Our agency appreciates the hard work of all of the people who made this possible, and we look forward to utilizing these funds to meet the ongoing recovery needs of our community,” said Vins.

The health district in partnership with Norfolk Southern and their contractor SANTEC began private well testing on Feb. 12, 2023. The initial plan only included sampling and testing wells within a quarter mile of the derailment site. That area expanded as more information about surface and groundwater became available and data collected was analyzed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The well testing was later increased to three zones with no plans to further expand the sampling areas, despite frustration expressed by residents who do not qualify for private well testing under the marked zones. Those residents were advised to contact private-sampling companies at their own expense. It was not reported if the additional $2 million secured by Brown will lead to testing beyond the zones established last year.

So far, Norfolk Southern has contributed nearly $4.3 million to protect the municipal water supply to be used for new engineering and the installation of a carbon filtration system at the village water treatment plant. The carbon-filter project, expected to be online in the coming weeks, is a precautionary protection and complies with the new federal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) guidelines.

However, Norfolk Southern has come under fire by some in the community who say the same defense and monitoring should be given to private wells. Some residents have been reimbursed by the railroad for carbon filtration systems placed on private wells, while others say they have not. The funds announced by Brown are for testing only.

Last May, the health district reported that in 361 wells tested at that time, only four showed exceedances for one of the 29 compounds (initially samples were tested for 180) being screened for. All four samples were retested and declared “non-detect.” The first exceedance was traced back to a disinfectant byproduct a resident used to clean their well. The other three exceedances were two of 2.6 dinitrotoluene (DNT) and an exceedance of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) — DEHP is used in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and vinyl chloride resins and is added to make plastics flexible. Subsequent testing yielded no detection or extremely low levels of those chemicals in the samples.

East Palestine’s municipal water supply is tested weekly for 190 chemicals, including both volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds and glycols using a sentinel-well system — 20 sentinel wells were installed between the known area of contamination and the village’s wellfield. The EPA reported in September more sentinel wells would be added. To date, no derailment chemicals have been detected in raw or treated water.

Brown along with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) has called on intensive private- well testing since the early days of the derailment. On Feb. 15, 2023 — less than two weeks following the rail disaster – the senators penned a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan expressing the need for such testing and ongoing monitoring of private wells.

“Given the rural nature of this community, many residents rely on private drinking water wells that are not connected to a public water supply system, and therefore may need additional testing from EPA to ensure the safety of their drinking water sources. We are deeply concerned for the safety of the community in the impacted area,” the letter explained.

selverd@mojonews.com