Contaminated derailment soil now a concern for people in another Ohio town
EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio — The cleanup and removal process in East Palestine, Ohio is still ongoing nearly one month after the Feb. 3 train derailment.
Part of the remediation efforts include gathering the contaminated soil and liquid from the site and moving it to facilities that specialize in discarding hazardous materials. One such facility, Heritage Thermal Services, is located about 20 miles south in East Liverpool, Ohio.
On Sunday, the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency approved Norfolk Southern to transport contaminated soil to the Heritage Thermal. It's a decision people who live nearby said they do not support.
"Texas wouldn't take it, Michigan wouldn't take it. Why are we getting dumped on just like East Palestine? We're a small town, too," said John Jackson, a life-long resident of East Liverpool.
In an updated released from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's office, approximately 1.8 million gallons of liquid waste and 4,832 cubic yards of solid waste have been collected from the derailment site to date. Additional solid and liquid waste are being staged daily as the cleanup progresses.
Before Heritage Thermal was approved as a disposal site, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, some of the waste was believed to be going to two separate facilities in the state before the transport was halted by the EPA.
As of Monday, according to DeWine's office, two 28-cubic-yard boxes of contaminated soil were taken to HTS.
In a statement to KDKA-TV, the company said the materials eligible for high-temperature destruction will be processed at the facility. The statement added that the facility is fully permitted to manage the materials generated by cleanup activities at the derailment site.
Mark Walton of East Liverpool said because HTS is located along the Ohio River, he's worried about more potential consequences.
"You're going to bring it to one of the biggest waterways," Walton said. "To me, that's an accident waiting to happen."
In a Heritage Industrial Services document outlining disposal procedures, the company explained that prior to the incineration process, samples are routinely taken and analyzed to ensure the materials received matches up with the characterization.
The overall process is the safest and most efficient and environmentally responsible means of destroying the contaminated material from the East Palestine incident, according to HTS.
Walton, however, said he is still apprehensive.
"This is a major waterway and everybody down river from here to the Gulf of Mexico and the tributaries that come off of the Ohio, that's their drinking water," he said.