Newsletter: East Palestine Train Derailment Response, 10-31-2024
Newsletter serving Serving East Palestine, Negley, Darlington, and surrounding communities
- Progress Made
- Confirmation Sampling
- Key Project Update
- Site Restoration
- Settlement with Norfolk Southern
- Resiliency Center
- About this Publication
Progress Made
Confirmation Sampling
Final soil confirmation sampling is more than 90% complete. Results are then evaluated, along with groundwater and soil vapor data, to make sure all cleanup work is complete. To date, out of the thousands of samples collected, about 14 small areas have been identified where soil is contaminated above cleanup goals. Three of these locations had vinyl chloride exceedances and were discussed in the July newsletter. These areas were promptly excavated, and soil was shipped offsite for disposal.
Towards the east end of the derailment site, low levels of other chemicals, like ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (known as 2-butoxyethanol) that spilled during the derailment, have been detected. This fall, more sampling is being done in these areas to better determine the level of contamination. Then, EPA will determine how much cleanup will be required on the east end, near the Pennsylvania border. Note: The areas assessed in the East Palestine Park did not find locations requiring cleanup.
Site Restoration
Restoration of the former tank farms, waste staging areas and the north and south ditches continues. You can see the fully restored areas with fresh sod from E. Taggart Street. Also, crews are removing over half a mile of sheet piling from the former cleanup areas. The current restoration work in these areas will be completed in the coming weeks and most field activities are expected to be completed before the end of the year.
United States’ Settlement with Norfolk Southern
In early October, the motion to enter with the Court for the United States’ consent decree with Norfolk Southern was filed with the US District Court. The timeline for judicial review is unknown. The documents include responses to public comments and can be found on EPA’s East Palestine webpage.
East Palestine Resiliency Center
This past summer, The Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board opened the Resiliency Center in East Palestine. The center focuses on the mental health of those affected by the train derailment and services are free for anyone eligible, such as first responders, people who worked in the village, or anyone living in an affected Ohio zip code.