W.Va. water tests encouraging after spill

Associated Press

DRY BRANCH, W.VA.

For Bonnie Wireman, the white plastic bag covering her kitchen faucet is a reminder that she can’t drink the water.

The 81-year-old woman placed it there after forgetting several times the tap water was tainted after a coal-processing chemical leaked into the area’s water supply. The widow of a coal miner, Wireman was angered about the chemical spill that’s deprived 300,000 West Virginians of clean tap water for four days, but doesn’t blame the coal or chemical industries.

Here’s the dilemma for many West Virginians: The industries provide thousands of good-paying jobs but also pose risks for the communities surrounding them, such as the chemical spill or coal mine disasters. The current emergency began Thursday after a foaming agent used in coal processing escaped from a Freedom Industries plant in Charleston and seeped into the Elk River. Since then, residents have been ordered not to use tap water for anything but flushing toilets.

Gov. Earl Tomblin said Sunday water tests were encouraging, but he didn’t give a timetable for when people might be able to use water again. “The numbers look good. They are very encouraging,” Tomblin said.

Schools, restaurants and other businesses were to close today, but the governor said all state offices would be open.

Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, of the West Virginia National Guard, said testing near the water treatment facility has consistently been below one part per million for 24 hours, a key step officials needed before they can lift the ban. Some tests have shown the chemical was not present at all in water coming in and out of the plant.

West Virginia American Water President Jeff McIntyre said they will lift the water bans by zone, but he didn’t say how soon it would be.