Here's why drinking water for thousands was contiminated
CSB: Communication, maintenance shortcomings behind 2014 Freedom Industries chemical spill
The Chemical Safety Board’s (CSB) final report into the massive release of toxins into this valley’s primary source of drinking water in 2014 concludes Freedom Industries failed to inspect or repair corroding tanks, and that as hazardous chemicals flowed into the Elk River, the water company and local authorities were unable to effectively communicate the looming risks to hundreds of thousands of affected residents, who were left without clean water for drinking, cooking and bathing.
The CSB's final report and recommendations will be discussed at a public meeting tonight in Charleston, WV, at 6:00 pm EDT at the Four Points by Sheraton. To watch a live webcast of the public meeting please visit this link at the time of the meeting: http://livestream.com/accounts/4761603/uschem
On the morning of January 9, 2014, an estimated 10,000 gallons of Crude Methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) mixed with propylene glycol phenyl ethers (PPH Stripped) were released into the Elk River when a 46,000-gallon storage tank located at the Freedom Industries site in Charleston, WV, failed. As the chemical entered the river it flowed towards West Virginia American Water’s intake, which was located approximately 1.5 miles downstream from the Freedom site.