Trending
EAST PALESTINE -- The Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment -- a grassroots advocacy group of residents impacted by the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern rail disaster -- have teamed up with environmentalists to oppose a proposal for East Palestine to accept and discharge treated derailment wastewater.
The Unity Council, Three Rivers Waterkeepers and Beaver County Awareness Community, have launched an online petition to squash the proposal presented to village council by East Palestine Village Wastewater Superintendent Scott Wolfe in August. Under the proposal, water impacted by the derailment treated at the Norfolk Southern Wastewater Treatment facility, which was constructed over the summer on North Pleasant Drive and began operations in September, would be trucked to the municipal wastewater plant, treated again and discharged into Leslie Run. Once treated at the NS facility, the wastewater would no longer be labeled 'hazardous." The village would be compensated monetarily for each truck load accepted. Village council is currently considering the proposal.
The petition asks area residents for help to stop what it called "a decision that could negatively impact the entire Ohio River Valley." The petition goes on to explain that the discharged water would make its way down Leslie Run into Little Beaver Creek and "ultimately into the Ohio River Basin -- a drinking source for five million people and a recreational source for 30 million people."
Heavy local opposition to the proposal has already been expressed. Last month, East Palestine held a special council meeting to gather public input. All feedback voiced at the forum was against Wolfe's proposal. Concerns put forward at that meeting included future liability against the village if derailment pollutants make it down stream to other communities, the ability of both plants technology to efficiently remove vinyl chloride from the water, whether an already contaminated Leslie Run can handle the burden of the additional discharge and the adding of more stress on the already traumatized communities impacted by the rail disaster.
The petition reiterates these concerns and others, noting "the community has yet to see the entire proposal, standard operating procedures, best management procedures, training plan, technical staff information and/or safety protocols." Other points of apprehension listed in the petition included long-term stewardship of the facility becoming a financial burden to the village and potential Clean Water Act violations if the municipal facility exceeds its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
Heather Hulton Vantassel, executive director for Three Rivers Water Keepers, spoke out against the proposal at the December meeting.
"You will be discharging wastewater and that opens you up to Clean water Act violations," she said. "As a municipality you will be able to be sued by your citizens for what you are discharging into the water if it exceeds your permitted limitations."
Vantassel said if the proposal is accepted it will have far-reaching impacts.
"Just think about what the real consequences are. What you do know and what you don't know," she said. "And what that may look like for the future of this community, other communities and all of our Ohio River friends."
The full petition can be viewed at actionnetwork.org.