East Palestine’s municipal water system has ‘no detection of contaminants’ from train derailment, EPA says

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WOIO) - Gov. Mike DeWine confirmed that the water testing results as of 3 p.m. on Feb. 15 show “no detection of contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine’s municipal water system.”

The test results from the combined, treated water from all five wells also showed no detection of contaminants that are associated with the train derailment, according to DeWine.

“With these tests results, Ohio EPA is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink,” DeWine stated.

Most area residents have their drinking water provided by East Palestine’s municipal water system, which takes in water from five wells located approximately one mile from the site of the train derailment, the governor said.

DeWine described these municipal wells as at least 56′ below the surface and covered by a solid steel casing to prevent water contamination.

Water from these five wells is combined at the water treatment plant and treated before being made available to the public for drinking, DeWine said.

“Although it was unlikely that any contaminants entered the wells that serve the municipal water supply, Ohio EPA tested the combined, treated water soon after the derailment,” DeWine confirmed. “Those tests showed no contamination.”

Ohio EPA took samples of raw, untreated water directly from all five wells over the past week, as well as a new sample of combined, treated water out of an abundance of caution, according to DeWine.

DeWine confirmed the new testing results from the five wells and the treated water sample all showed no evidence of contamination associated with the derailment.

The Ohio EPA recommends that those who get their drinking water from private wells schedule an appointment with an independent consultant to have the water tested because the wells may be closer to the surface than the municipal water wells, said DeWine.

Call 330-849-3919 for information on how to schedule an appointment to have your private well’s water tested.

The Ohio Department of Health encourages those with private wells to use bottled water until they get the results of their well water tests.

Click here for more information from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

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