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EAST PALESTINE – In its most recent letter derailment newsletter sent to residents in East Palestine and other communities impacted by the Feb. 3 rail disaster, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that sheen assessment in Leslie and Sulphur Runs is now complete.
The data collected at over 821 locations will be used to determine if additional remediation is necessary in the creeks.
"Every 25 feet, the creek bed was disturbed to look for any visible sheen. If observed, it was qualitatively graded on a zero to three-point scale depending on the amount visible," the EPA explained in the newsletter. "Crews photo-documented the sheen and sampled the sheen and nearby sediment where sheens were heavy or moderate."
The sheen-scoring process was first mentioned in EPA-approved Sulphur Run Characterization Work Plan, released in June and revised in July. The process involved agitating the stream sediment and turning over rocks and then grading sheen uncovered on a scale of 0-3 -- 0 being no sheen visible and 3 being heavy sheen present. Early sheen-scoring within Sulphur Run reflected heavy sheen with all areas graded 2 or 3.
Assessment of the creeks have ramped up since the EPA, under the agency's EPA's Clean Water Act authority, issued an order to Norfolk Southern on Oct. 18 that instructed the railroad to conduct additional investigations focused on the sheen which has been a concern of residents since the rail disaster over 10 months ago.
Assessment also included gaining a better understanding of how much, if any, derailment chemicals may still be lurking beneath the underground portion of the waterways. Last week, crews completed assessments of most culverts under East Palestine to prepare for cleanout. The culvert assessment revealed no heightened concerns.
"Workers, drones, and even a robotic dog, which was used to enter confined spaces, entered five culverts," the EPA reported. "Air monitoring was done as a safety measure for crews operating in a potentially confined space. No evidence of derailment-related chemicals were detected in air samples during these operations."
The EPA said three of the culverts have been cleaned, including removal of sediment and debris, and a fourth is nearing completion. One culvert assessment for cleanout has not been completed. That is the largest culvert which measures approximately 800 feet and crosses under Taggart Road.
In other remediation news, the EPA detailed additional assessment of four commercial properties located near the derailment site. The EPA called the assessment "a double-check to ensure the cleanup was complete."
The assessment is focused on the 80,000-square-foot CeramFab building that sits right next to where the train derailed and directly next to what unified command refers to as Car Scrapping Area 4 (where burned out cars were dismantled for disposal). Last month, Edwin Wang, majority owner of CeramFab, filed a $500 million against Norfolk Southern on Thursday in the U.S. Northern District Court Of Ohio, charging the derailment created an unsafe environment for his employees and forced him to close or relocate all his operations.
Aside from CeramFab, Brave Industries and U.S. Stonewares and Strohecker Industries will also undergo additional assessment techniques such as soil sampling at the ground surface and at various depths beneath the ground as well a vapor intrusion study to determine if contaminants of concern are present underneath the buildings.
The vapor intrusion study was detailed in the newsletter.
"Part of vapor intrusion sampling includes drilling a hole through the concrete floor of a building and establishing a permanent air sampling port," the EPA explained. "The air sampling port is then sampled using an evacuated air canister for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis."
The results of the vapor intrusion studies will take some time, as the process itself is lengthy. In the agency's initial report to comply with the presidential order issued by President Joe Biden on Sept. 20 that directed the EPA to submit a report within 30 days on the cleanup efforts, the EPA projected the study will not be complete until August of 2024.
The EPA also reported that additional soil investigation in and around the derailment site will continue with confirmatory sampling (to confirm previous sample results), as will groundwater monitoring at the derailment site and safety measures along East Taggart Street.
The EPA also reminded residents that treated water and untreated wastewater will continue to be shipped off-site while the on-site wastewater treatment system remains temporarily shut down for maintenance, operational adjustments and winterization, including the installation of a large tent over the top of the system. The EPA also reported that remediation and site operations will slow down through this week and next in observation of the holidays, while the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center will close Friday and remain closed until Jan. 2.