Philadelphia tap water safe to drink until at least 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, city says
UPDATE: Philadelphia tap water officially safe after chemical spill, Mayor Jim Kenney says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The city of Philadelphia again extended the deadline for residents to safely use tap water.
The city said Tuesday that tap water in Philadelphia is now safe to use until at least 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, March 29.
The city then sent a public safety alert to residents' phones Wednesday reinforcing that message.
Residents can use water like they normally do, according to officials. The city says Philadelphia's tap water is safe to drink, cook and shower with.
"We understand the legitimate concern that is felt by the public as the release of chemicals into our waterways can pose a major threat to our health and safety," Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement. "The Philadelphia Water Department is working around the clock to ensure that this does not happen and that our water remains safe to drink and use. I encourage residents who want to make sure they have water available to fill bottles or pitchers of tap water and am confident that there is no risk at this time as no contaminants have been detected in the Delaware River water. Again, tap water continues to be safe."
The Philadelphia Water Department says the latest testing were received around 4 p.m. Monday and they came back negative. Overall, 40 tests have been done by the water department since the initial advisory, and they all came back negative, according to the city.
City officials say that contaminants related to the spill of 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of a latex emulsion product have not been found in the PWD's water system. The chemicals made its way into Otter Creek in Bristol, Bucks County, and then into the Delaware River.
"What we were facing Friday night going into Saturday morning was a cloud floating down the river," Randy Hayman, the commissioner of the PWD, said. "A very serious concern we had as far what is that cloud? Is it safe? And can it be treated?"
Intakes for the city's Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant draw from the Delaware River, several miles downstream from where this leak occurred. But, the city says the intakes were closed before the chemicals made way into the treatment plant.
The company, Trinseo Altuglas LLC in Bristol, described the chemical as 50% water and 50% latex polymer. The plant manufactures acrylic resins.
The PWD continues to track the spill closely, the city says.
The PWD has several steps to monitor the quality of the water. They collect samples from the Delaware River, the Baxter raw water basin influent and effluent and multiple locations in the treatment process and entry points in the distribution system.
The PWD will then take periodic sampling at certain locations and targeted sampling when filling the raw water basin.
The city says they expect there will be no residual plume and no contamination of residual water by Wednesday or Thursday.
Officials say the remnants of the spill should pass the Baxter plant no later than this Thursday. After that point, officials will continue to monitor the water in the plant.
Current modeling indicates the remnants of the spill are expected to move downstream of Baxter, however, a water distribution plan is in place as a contingency to help the most vulnerable populations.
Philly officials say they will continue to test to guarantee that no contaminated water entered the PWD's system. The city says a conservative estimate hopes to have the situation completely resolved by next week.
Residents can track the impact of the spill on a map provided by the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
The effort to monitor the water and the water at the Baxter intakes has been coordinated by the PWD, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and other regional utilities.
The city is recommending residents in Philly to store up to three days worth of water as a precaution based on FEMA guidelines.
Closures at schools and restaurants in Philadelphia are not recommended at this time, Mike Carroll, the deputy managing director for transportation, infrastructure and sustainability of Philadelphia, said.
The Department of Environmental Protection said there have not been any signs of fish or wildlife impacts as a result of the spill.
Philly residents west of the Schuylkill River in the city are not affected by the spill because they get their water from a different plant.
