Newsletter: East Palestine Train Derailment Response, 9-6-2023
Newsletter serving Serving East Palestine, Negley, Darlington, and surrounding communities
- Progress Made
- The Look Ahead
- Site Status Check
- Community Corner
- Did you Know?
- Top 3 Questions of the Week
- Safety Minute
- Upcoming Events
- Stay Informed
- About this Publication
Progress Made
Structure Cleaning Program Continues
The structure cleaning program started in August to address concerns about dust generated by the cleanup work within the 1-by-2 mile initial evacuation zone. Residents in the Village of East Palestine and the 1-by-2 mile evacuation zone are eligible. The free program starts with a pre-cleaning interview, after which a cleaning date can be scheduled at your convenience. Many residents have taken advantage of the program and have been impressed with the level of care and thoroughness provided by the team. The deadline to sign-up has been extended to September 14. If you are interested please call the EPA Welcome Center line at 330- 775-6517.Wastewater is Treated On-site
The on-site wastewater treatment system removes vinyl chloride and other derailment contaminants from rainwater that has contacted contaminated soils. The system uses several steps – including sedimentation, filtration, oil-water separation, air stripping, and activated carbon – that remove suspended solids and particles, oils, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other remaining site contaminants. Treated wastewater samples are collected to verify the system is working as planned. The treated wastewater is then stored in large tanks and tested to verify the vinyl chloride is below the drinking water standard. Norfolk Southern will identify off-site non-hazardous disposal facilities to accept the treated wastewater.
Additional Monitoring Wells Are Installed
Monitoring wells are located at the derailment site and around the community near surface waters. Additional wells will be installed in the coming weeks. The wells are capable of sampling groundwater at different depths to look for contaminants that could have migrated to groundwater.
The Look Ahead
At the Derailment Site
- Excavations in the South Ditch and Car Scrapping Area 4 will continue.
- Car Scrapping Area 3 excavation and backfilling are nearing completion.
- Review of sampling results from the on-site wastewater treatment system continues, to determine that treated wastewater can be moved offsite as nonhazardous.
- Shipments of excavated soil and untreated hazardous wastewater for off-site disposal will continue.
- Drone operations for mapping the incident and surrounding areas will continue to aid in monitoring and oversight.
- Taggart Street remains closed to the public.
In the Greater Community
- Pre-cleaning interviews for indoor cleaning of eligible homes and businesses will continue.
- September 14 is the deadline to submit the request for indoor cleaning of eligible homes and businesses. A cleaning date can be scheduled at your convenience
and interested residents who sign up for cleaning during the eligibility period can wait to choose a cleaning date until construction activities are closer
to completion. For more information call the EPA Welcome Center at 330-775-6517. - Stationary air monitoring continues at 9 locations within the community. Roving air monitoring continues with the PTR-MS (proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry) vehicles. Also, in coordination with other agencies, EPA has deployed a MINICAM (miniature chemical agent monitoring system) vehicle for additional butyl acrylate monitoring.
Community Corner
The 136th Columbiana Street Fair
From September 7 to 9, Columbiana will host its 136th Annual Street Fair. The street fair in Columbiana was first held in 1885, with judging of produce, livestock, and hand-made items. In the early 1900’s, the name briefly changed to the H.H. Smith Pumpkin show. In 1920, the Benjamin Firestone Post #290 of the American Legion took over the street fair and expanded the event to three days. The fair has continued every year, except for 1943 when the American Legion supported the war effort. Today, the street fair is considered the second largest in Ohio and draws over 40,000 people.
Did you know?
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Top 3 Questions of the Week
Upcoming Community Events
- The East Palestine Support Group meets the second Monday of each month at the First Church of Christ from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
September 7 to 9
- Columbiana Street Fair
September 8
- EP First Responders Night Football Pregame at Reid Memorial Stadium at 6:45 p.m.
September 9
- Bike Rally at the New Galilee Walking Trail from 12 to 3 p.m.
September 30
- Big Beaver Volunteer Fire Company in Darlington is hosting a Fall Festival with vendors and a flea market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
October 1
- Community Day for Big Beaver Borough and New Galilee Borough from 1 to 4 p.m.
October 14
- East Palestine Falliday in the Park Craft Show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Stay Informed
EPA will be releasing weekly short videos call “This Week at E.P.” to share what work will be occurring on site in the upcoming week. 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.