Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine visits derailment site, gets update on cleanup process
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It's been nearly one month since the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
On Wednesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine visited the site of the derailment for an update on the cleanup process. He was joined by the director of Ohio's Department of Environmental Protection, with both saying cleanup is coming along but there is still a long way to go.
"Frankly, I have a great admiration for all the people who are out here," DeWine said Wednesday. "It's an amazing operation."
It has been a non-stop operation since multiple cars carrying dangerous chemicals derailed, ruptured and detonated, contaminating millions of tons of top soil.
"By the time they're done, they think they'll be 30,000 truck loads," DeWine said.
Officials said they are also continuing to remove contaminates from the water by containing it and stirring it up.
"The next phase it to stir up the sentiment under the creek to get the product out of the ground that's under the creek," said Annie Vogel, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. "That is now being hauled off and out of East Palestine. Same with the liquids that had been contained over time."
But on Wednesday, Vogel did report some good news.
"We've seen fish populations being restored, we've seen the aquatic life coming back 4 miles away," Vogel said. "So it's getting closer. So it's a matter of time."
DeWine made clear while the cleanup process is coming along, completion will be measured not in days but weeks.