PHOTOS: What It Looks Like When A Massive Chemical Spill Contaminates The Water Supply & Hundreds Of Thousands Still Without Water In W. Va. 11JAN14

EXPECT much more of this if the jellyfish democrats give in to the repiglicans and tea-baggers and cut funding for the EPA even more.

By Kiley Kroh on January 11, 2014 at 10:46 am

"PHOTOS: What It Looks Like When A Massive Chemical Spill Contaminates The Water Supply"

Empty shelves at a local Foodland between Freedom Industries and American Water.

CREDIT: Foo Conner/@iwasaround

On Thursday morning, a chemical spill was detected at Freedom Industries’ storage facility near the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia, just upstream from a water treatment facility. The chemical, 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol (crude MCHM), is used in coal production and can cause “severe burning in throat, severe eye irritation, non-stop vomiting, trouble breathing or severe skin irritation such as skin blistering.” A state of emergency was declared and more than 300,000 people ordered not to use or consume their water for anything other than flushing toilets.
The contaminated water cannot be treated and at a Friday evening press conference, Freedom Industries President Gary Southern could not confirm the amount of the chemical that spilled into the water, which is distributed to a 1,500 mile area, nor when it began leaking. With no timeline for lifting the water use ban, West Virginians were thrown into a water crisis — after chaotic scenes at local stores cleared the shelves of bottled water, police were called in to guard the water delivery at a local Wal-Mart and the National Guard oversaw water distribution at the state capitol.
Here’s a look at Charleston amidst the crisis:

An environmental enforcement boat patrols in front of the chemical spill at Freedom Industries.

CREDIT: Foo Conner/@iwasaround

Local coffee shop and bookstore closed due to the water ban.

CREDIT: Foo Conner/@iwasaround

Freedom Industries avoided speaking with the press until Friday evening.

CREDIT: Foo Conner/@iwasaround

One local establishment advertises that they still have water.

CREDIT: Foo Conner/@iwasaround

Residents share water obtained from a distribution point.

CREDIT: Foo Conner/@iwasaround

‹ PREVIOUS
Crisis In West Virginia: Wal-Mart Calls In Police To Guard Bottled Water Delivery

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/11/3150431/photos-chemical-spill/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

Hundreds Of Thousands Still Without Water In W. Va.

by Eyder Peralta

January 11, 201410:07 AM

Shelves at Krogers remain empty after running out of water in Kanawha City a neighborhood of Charleston on Friday.

Tom Hindman/Getty Images

For the third day in a row, hundreds of thousands of West Virginians are unable to drink, cook or wash with the water in their homes.
, the potable water was contaminated when methylcyclohexene methanol — a chemical used in a coal-washing process — leaked into the Elk River near Charleston on Thursday.
The chemical overflowed from a tank owned by Freedom Industries, a company that specializes in producing chemicals for the mining, steel and cement industries.
The AP reports:

"Officials remain unclear when it might be safe again.
Federal authorities, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, began investigating how the foaming agent escaped from the Freedom Industries plant and seeped into the Elk River. Just how much of the chemical leaked into the river was not yet known.
"'We'd like to start by sincerely apologizing to the people in the affected counties of West Virginia,' [Freedom Industries] President Gary Southern said. 'Our friends and our neighbors, this incident is extremely unfortunate, unanticipated and we are very, very sorry for the disruptions to everybody's daily life this incident has caused.'"

that the state Department of Environmental Protection said between "2,000 gallons and 5,000 gallons of the material leaked from a hole in a storage tank," and that by the time inspectors arrived at the scene on Thursday, they found the company had not taken any steps to contain the spill.
On Friday, the state's Department of Environmental Protection ordered the company cease operations until they prove their tanks are reliable.
that the level of chemicals in the water has dropped but "not enough for authorities to lift a warning."
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency for 9 counties on Friday and President Obama also issued an emergency declaration.
:

The spill forced schools and businesses to close in Charleston, West Virginia's largest city.
"Tomblin said that hourly tests on the affected water supply show 'the chemical level is declining.'
"'But we're just not sure exactly how long it's going to take before it's acceptable to lift the do-not-drink ban,' he said."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/11/261607496/hundreds-of-thousands-still-without-water-in-w-va?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=DailyDigest&utm_campaign=20140111