Over 1 Million Gallons of Contaminated Water Excavated From Ohio Train Derailment Site

A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, on Feb. 6, 2023. Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

About 15,000 pounds of contaminated soil and 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water have been excavated from the site of a train derailment earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio, train operator Norfolk Southern said on Feb. 20.

The announcement comes shortly after a state senator warned people living in close proximity to the derailment site not to bathe in or drink the water.

Norfolk Southern said the excavated contaminated soil and water will be transported to landfills and disposal facilities that are “designed to accept it safely, in accordance with state and federal regulations.”

“Additionally, a series of pumps have been placed upstream to reroute Sulphur Run around the derailment site,” the rail company said. “The affected portion of Sulphur Run has been dammed to protect water downstream.”

“Environmental teams are treating the impacted portions of Sulphur Run with booms, aeration, and carbon filtration units,” Norfolk Southern said, adding that those teams are “also working with stream experts to collect soil and groundwater samples to develop a comprehensive plan to address any contamination that remains in the stream banks and sediment.”

The train, carrying about 150 freight cars, was traveling to Conway, Pennsylvania, from Madison, Illinois, on Feb. 3 when it derailed in East Palestine. About 50 cars actually left the tracks, including 20 carrying hazardous materials.

State officials ordered the evacuation of a one-mile radius surrounding the crash site shortly after the incident but lifted those evacuation orders after crews burned the chemicals onboard, which included vinyl chloride, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and butyl acrylate, in a controlled release on Feb. 6.

An environmental company is removing dead fish downstream from the site of the train derailment that forced people to be evacuated from their homes in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 6, 2023. Alan Freed/Reuters

Concerns Over Cancer-Causing Pollutants

The controlled release also sent phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air.

At the time the order was lifted, officials declared that it was safe for residents to return to the area after monitoring the air and water in surrounding communities and claiming they were not affected.

However, residents soon began to express concerns about their long-term health, with one resident telling The Washington Post that her family experienced headaches and nausea after returning to their home.

Other residents shared concerns about the environmental effects of the derailment, with some claiming to have seen dead animals in streams near the scene, while one North Lima resident told local news outlets that all of her chickens had suddenly died shortly after the derailment.

Over the weekend, Ohio state Sen. Michael Rulli, a Republican, warned residents within 10 miles of the derailment not to drink the local water or bathe in it, telling Breitbart that it isn’t safe to do so. Rulli, whose district covers East Palestine, said that there are concerns about “cancer in the next five, 10, 15, 20 years,” among residents in close proximity to the derailment site.

“So what I’m suggesting is that everyone goes as far away as you can and get a hotel room,” Rulli said. The senator added that he has experienced a “sore throat for the rest of the day” whenever he visits East Palestine.

Booms are placed in a stream that flows through the center of East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 15, 2023, as cleanup continues following the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train over a week ago. Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

Contaminated Rail Cars to Be Scrapped

U.S. Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) also voiced concerns about cancer-causing pollutants from the site in a Feb. 18 letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Anne Vogel.

Several lawsuits have since been filed regarding the derailment, which is currently being investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Norfolk Southern said on Feb. 20 that the “majority of the hazardous rail cars have been decontaminated and are being held on-site” to allow NTSB to continue with its investigation.

Once that probe is completed, the rail cars will be “scrapped and moved off-site for disposal,” the train operator said.

Norfolk Southern also noted that it already has committed more than $5.6 million to East Palestine to date, including $3.4 million in direct financial assistance to families.

“I want residents of East Palestine to know that Norfolk Southern will be in their community to help for as long as needed,” CEO Alan Shaw said.

The excavation of the contaminated water and soil comes as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro were to travel to East Palestine on Feb. 21 to provide an update on the status of cleanup work at the derailment site.

They will be joined for the briefing by Regan, according to reports.