What does the on-site wastewater treatment process on site entail?

EPA has approved a workplan to allow Norfolk Southern to treat hazardous wastewater on-site, removing vinyl chloride and other contaminants to dispose of the treated wastewater off-site as a non-hazardous waste. Currently, the train derailment site generates nearly one million gallons of wastewater per week from the collection of stormwater run-on and excavation-related groundwater. The treatment will lower vinyl chloride levels in wastewater to drinking water standards.

Treating the wastewater on-site to ship as non-hazardous will have many benefits to the community including fewer trucks on-site to haul wastewater to holding tanks; fewer wastewater hauling trucks in the community at any one time; a smaller operational footprint of the site; and significantly less hazardous waste shipments transported through East Palestine and other communities nationally.

The wastewater treatment system itself will not cause additional noise disruption in the community. There will be no impacts to air, surface water, or soil. The system is temporary, meant to be on-site until no longer needed.