2014 Elk River chemical spill official thread

[Lasher]

Check in, West Virginians! Do you live in the 9 county area where drinking water has been poisoned? I do. How are you doing? I've got a good supply of potable water here on our property, so we're luckier than most folks.

Here's a Wikipedia article about the crisis:

2014 Elk River chemical spill

The Elk River chemical spill occurred on January 9, 2014 when crude 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) was released from a Freedom Industries facility into the Elk River, a tributary of the Kanawha River, in Charleston in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The chemical spill occurred upstream from the principal West Virginia American Water intake and treatment and distribution center. Following the spill, up to 300,000 residents within nine counties in the Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area were without access to potable water. The areas affected were Boone, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, and Roane counties and the Culloden area of Cabell County. Crude MCHM is a chemical foam used to wash coal and remove impurities that contribute to pollution during combustion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Elk_River_chemical_spill

[dgibby]

1. Would you happen to know

the status of the animal shelters/sanctuaries in the affected areas? I was led to understand that they are in dire need of donations of water, baby wipes, hand sanitizers, etc., and there are folks here in my area of Va. who would be more than willing to donate, but we need a contact in your area. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Lasher]

2. I'm tracking that down.

I'm thinking the animals must have enough to drink, but that's the easiest demand to satisfy. You see, we can't use our tap water for anything except flushing the toilet. So I can see how sanitizers and wipes would be especially needed now. I had decided to contact the Kanawha/Charleston (WV) Humane Association today, hoping to get an assessment. Whatever I learn I will share it here, OK? Thank you for the sentiment.

Do you know how much water you need to take an actual bath? A shitload, I can tell you from personal experience last night. But we're lucky to have a potable water supply here on our property.

[dgibby]

4. Thanks so much.

I'll keep checking back, then post to my FB page and contact the Alleghany Co, Va, Humane Society, All Breeds Rescue in Alleghany Co, and Angels of Assisi in Roanoke, Va.

The local radio station here, WKEY/WCFX collected bottled water last week and delivered to Charleston last week, so will get in contact with them, too. We're just over the state line from White Sulpher Springs, WVA, and have lots of ties to WV.

[Lasher]

5. Thanks, we'll make a great team! (edited)

Last edited Mon Jan 13, 2014, 02:04 PM - Edit history (1)

Let's compare notes this afternoon.

I just got a callback from Christie Hamilton in the Governor's office. They say they don't know of any single entity who would identify animal shelter needs related to the crisis, or associated contribution of money and material. She said each shelter would have do be dealt with individually. I must say I am disappointed.

I'm now waiting on a callback from the Kanawha/Charleston Humane Association.

[dgibby]

9. I posted an inquiry to their FB page.

So far, they're asking for paper towels and bath towels. They have enough water. I asked about newspapers, hand sanitizer and baby wipes, but haven't gotten a response yet.

My niece, who is involved with Angels, is checking to see if they're providing any support. I'm still waiting to hear from Alleghany Co. Humane Society. Will keep you posted.

Wonder if Friends of Animals is getting involved. Think I'll check that out, too.

[dgibby]

10. Nothing on Friends of Animals,

but Pet Finders is helping.

[Lasher]

11. A couple of minor catastrophes has sucked up most of my time today.

Tomorrow I'll put together a list of animal shelter contacts for all of the nine affected counties if nothing else distracts me.

[Lasher]

3. A tip for keeping hot water handy:

Put your electric slow cooker beside your sink. It will keep water hot there for whenever it is needed for washing your hands or whatever.

[Lasher]

6. WV National Guard Delivers Water to Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston

They call this a buffalo. Not the guy, the water tanker.

[MadCrow]

7. How long have these tanks been leaking?

My daughter works for WV Air Quality Control. Her office got a call on Thursday morning about a "licorice" smell and sent some inspectors from their office to investigate. They are the ones that found the leak. I wonder how long it would have leaked if the chemical MCHM hadn't had a distinctive odor. Luckily she lives in a city nearby that has its own water supply so she isn't personally affected.

[Lasher]

8. That's a good question, nobody seems to know.

I feel kinda sorry for Freedom Industries' President Gary Southern. It looks like he's being made into a scapegoat. I believe his company acquired the storage facility only a month ago and this chemical appears to have been seeping into the ground for - well, nobody knows how long. I personally blame government officials and WV American Water more than I do Freedom Industries. That is not to infer that Freedom is blameless.

How long would it have gone on if the chemical had been odorless? It's anybody's guess. My guess is, it would have gone on until the chemical tank ran dry. WV Air Quality Control is one of the heroes of the crisis. Good on your daughter and her organization for finding the leak.

As I'm sure you are aware, WV American Water didn't know about this until others told them about it. Their treatment plant used a charcoal filter that was doing nothing to block the contaminant after it was overloaded by its volume. Their water quality monitoring was clearly either ineffective or nonexistent.

Thank you for sharing this from your daughter's perspective. If there is anything more she has to add I wish you would socialize it here.

[MadAnne]

12. Sorry?

You are the only West Virginian I have heard express,sympathy for Freedom Industries and the odious Gary Southern.