![]() They strongly suggested we get off of the river “because of the smell.” A West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection boat also passed by. While on the water, we encountered a small boat that was presumably driven by employees of Freedom Industries. We feel that it is important to obtain independent samples and test results in many cases, as self-reporting by industry is not always reliable. The Appalachian Water Watch team decided to collect samples at the spill site. The spill occurred in the Elk River, originating at a chemical company called Freedom Industries located just upstream of a drinking water intake for West Virginia American Water that serves more than 300,000 people. A chemical storage facility had leaked a substantial but still unknown quantity of a coal-processing chemical, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol. I knew as little about what I might be doing through my work with Appalachian Water Watch as I did about what exactly had happened in Charleston.Īs the morning continued, we learned more through news reports and our friends on the ground in West Virginia. I then packed a bag anticipating the potential to be gone for several days. I saw a news report of a chemical spill in Charleston, W.Va., which I quickly emailed to the rest of the staff at Appalachian Voices. I checked Facebook early on the morning of January 9th, cursing my mild addiction to social media, and was suddenly glad that I had. ![]() Paddling toward the Freedom Industries spill site ![]()
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