What is EPA’s role?
EPA will provide oversight of the cleaning.
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The expectation is for cleaning to take less than one day. The duration will be dependent on the size of the structure and the scope of work.
While it is strongly recommended that you leave the property during the cleaning, you are not required to do so.
Basements or attics will be considered for cleaning if they are finished and habitable areas.
Sediment sampling in Leslie and Sulphur Run is complete. The data generated by this work are being evaluated and compared to human health and ecological risk threshold criteria. That will lead to a determination about whether additional actions will be required and what those actions should be.
Residents requesting Columbiana County water well sample results or assistance interpreting results taken by AECOM or Stantec laboratories can email (nstaggartroad@stantec.com). Additionally, a toxicologist is available to answer questions at 800-222-1222. Columbiana County residents near East Palestine with drinking water wells can request sampling by calling 330-849-3919. Pennsylvania residents living…
Yes, the air monitoring and sampling equipment are capable of detecting many chemicals of concern in the community and currently detections are below levels of concern. Some of the monitoring equipment may not detect a portion of the chemicals at lower levels–specifically n-butyl acrylate. However, there are independent tools used…
Norfolk Southern collects daily samples from the surface water near the derailment site, north of the tracks. State Line Lake flows through a wetland area and into the surface water area where the samples are taken. The agencies are reviewing all surface water results and Norfolk’s proposed plan for characterizing…
Yes, photos and videos of your property will be taken as a requirement of the program. This is done to ensure that the conditions of the property both pre- and post-cleaning are documented thoroughly.
The main purpose of sediment sampling is to understand the extent of sediment contamination in Sulphur and Leslie Run. The eco-assessment, however, focuses on the potential uptake of contaminants in fish and other organisms.
Cleaning will be performed by workers contracted by Norfolk Southern who are trained and experienced with structure cleaning. Cleaning teams will wear the following: badges, identification clothing, safety vest, shoe covers, gloves (when appropriate for the task), and face coverings (upon request by the property owner or renter).
Based on air monitoring and sampling conducted in and around the community, there is no evidence to suggest there is contamination of concern inside structures.
Cleaning will include a top-down approach, starting from the top floor and working down, addressing habitable spaces. Workers will wet-wipe accessible horizontal hard surfaces, wet mop hard floors, vacuum floors, carpets and appropriate soft surfaces, and dry dust appropriate vertical surfaces. Cleaning teams will not move appliances, and cleaning under…
Cleaning under this program includes only the inside of structures. Based on soil sampling results from the Phase 1 soil sampling program, additional soil sampling is not necessary. You can find additional information on the EPA website.
Recent biological sampling in the streams includes habitat, fish, and macroinvertebrate (aquatic bugs) collection. Fish sampling results indicate that the fish community has returned to pre-spill conditions in Leslie Run near Negley. Fish community scores, a way to measure aquatic health, range from 1 (poor water quality) to 60 (high…