CHICAGO — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Norfolk Southern to conduct further cleanup and investigative work in East Palestine. The order, which was issued on Wednesday, comes more than eight months after the toxic train derailment in Columbiana County.
Specifically, the EPA is ordering Norfolk Southern to concentrate its efforts on cleanup and investigations of the oily sheens and sediments in the Sulphur Run and Leslie Run creeks and surrounding areas in East Palestine. EPA officials say the updated order will lead to "a better, more complete understanding of where sediments are contaminated and will assist in evaluating how to address any remaining contamination in the creeks."
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, a sheen is defined as "an iridescent appearance on the surface of the water." That iridescent, lustrous appearance could be caused by a petroleum spill finding its way into the water - or the sheen could be a naturally occurring result of iron bacteria.
“Since the start of the cleanup, we’ve made tremendous progress, but we know there is more work to be done,” said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore in a statement. “As many folks have seen, the sediment in the creeks in some areas may generate a sheen when disturbed or agitated. In addition to the sampling and clean-up work over the last eight months, EPA will require that contamination from the derailment is identified along the impacted length of the creeks. Through this order, Norfolk Southern will take a thorough look at the waterways to ensure there are no lasting impacts from the derailment.”
The EPA says the sheen investigation will be conducted along a roughly five-mile length extending along impacted areas of both creeks. The order requires using a sediment agitation technique every 25 feet down the creeks to map where sheening occurs, which is necessary for understanding what contamination remains in the creeks.
In addition, the creek cleanup will be conducted in several culverts spanning approximately 1,200 feet to remove impacted sediment in Sulphur Run downstream of the derailment site.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan made his fourth visit to East Palestine since the derailment earlier this week, meeting with local officials and seeing cleanup progress first-hand. During his visit, Regan noted that 98% of the derailment site excavation has been completed.
Previous Reporting:
- President Biden says Norfolk Southern must be held accountable for East Palestine toxic train derailment but won't declare disaster
- President Biden orders FEMA to appoint coordinator for recovery efforts in East Palestine after toxic train derailment
- Norfolk Southern announces details of plan to pay for lost home values because of East Palestine derailment