Newsletter: East Palestine Train Derailment Response, 10-3-2023
Newsletter serving Serving East Palestine, Negley, Darlington, and surrounding communities
- Progress Made
- The Look Ahead
- Site Status Check
- Correction
- Community Corner
- Top 3 Questions of the Week
- Upcoming Events
- Stay Informed
- About this Publication
Progress Made
East Taggart Street Phased Reopening
As of September 25, East Taggart Street between North Pleasant Drive and the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, began reopening in three phases. For the safety of workers and motorists, please observe all speed restrictions and be aware of work zones. See the graphic for more details.
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Phase 1
Beginning Sept. 25
- Open nightly from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. to traffic.
- Traffic restrictions include limited speeds near work area.
- Road remains closed during the daytime hours.
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Phase 2
October 23*
- Open all day to traffic.
- Reduced speeds near work area.
- Periodic traffic interruptions with waits up to 15+ minutes to allow trucks to enter and leave the work site.
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Phase 3
January 2024*
- Open all day to traffic.
- Continued traffic control until site cleanup operations are complete and road fully opens without restrictions.
- *dates subject to change and dependent on site progress
Executive Order Protects People in East Palestine and Nearby Communities, and Continues to Hold Norfolk Southern Accountable
President Biden’s September 20 executive order directs FEMA to appoint a Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator to oversee long-term recovery efforts in the community. The order also announces new steps to ensure Norfolk Southern continues meeting its obligations to the community by issuing direction and policy on the federal response to the incident, to hold Norfolk Southern fully accountable under the law and to provide additional federal assistance as needed.
Read full announcement: Executive Order on Ensuring the People of East Palestine Are Protected Now and in the Future
The Look Ahead
Click image to enlarge view of Site Overview map.
At the Derailment Site
- Excavations in the South Ditch (green area south of track on map above) and Car Scrapping Area 4 (orange area south of track on map above) will continue.
- Shipments of excavated soil for off-site disposal will continue.
- Shipments of treated non-hazardous wastewater will continue.
In the Greater Community
Creek Clean-Up
- Some cleanup work has been performed in the creeks but residents should avoid the creeks and “keep out” signs will remain to deter use.
- Surface water sampling continues to confirm that levels of chemicals from the derailment are below action levels, or levels considered hazardous to human health and the environment needing immediate action. If ongoing or future testing shows results above action levels, immediate action would be taken to notify community and steps would be taken to reduce risks. U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA are overseeing the water quality monitoring and results are posted daily on the Ohio EPA webpage.Visit the Ohio EPA webpage to see those results. Look for more information and results in the coming weeks.
- As many in the community have observed, some of the sediments in Sulphur and Leslie Runs can produce a hydrocarbon sheen when agitated. The extent of sediment contamination from the derailment is being evaluated and is expected to lead to additional investigation and cleanup. Details of sediment investigations are described in the workplans.
Community Corner
A new East Palestine Resiliency Center, a wellness program funded through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, to provide mental health and recovery services to those effected by the train derailment. The center, which will be located at 50410 S.R. 14 in Unity Township, is in the process of hiring staff to provide services and programs and when more information becomes available, it will be shared with the community. If you would like more information, please call 330-718-8260.
Correction
The Way Station will canvass in East Palestine on Friday and Saturday, October 13 and 14. Please reach out to The Way Station for more information, 330-888-9814.
Site Status Check as of September 29
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North Track: In operation
South Track: In operation -
Leslie Run: Stream sampling and monitoring is ongoing
Sulphur Run: Stream monitoring and sampling is ongoing -
136,220 est. tons of solid waste shipped offsite
Top 3 Questions of the Week
Upcoming Community Events
Upcoming Health Workshop Opportunity
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is organizing a virtual public workshop on November 6-7 to explore potential health research and surveillance priorities arising from the train derailment. register for the event and find out more information visit the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine website.
EPA Welcome Center Holiday Hours:
EPA Welcome Center will be Closed Monday, October 9, in observance of the federal holiday. The Center will resume regular hours on Tuesday.
Stay Informed
EPA continues to release short videos called “This Week at E.P.” to share upcoming work at the site. You can find them on our website: East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment Videos
Follow the EPA Great Lakes Facebook and Twitter pages for social media updates on the ongoing cleanup and other EPA activities in your region.