Newsletter: East Palestine Train Derailment Response, 7-25-2023
Newsletter serving Serving East Palestine, Negley, Darlington, and surrounding communities
- Progress Made
- The Look Ahead
- Site Status Check
- Community Corner
- Did you Know?
- Safety Minute
- Top 3 Questions of the Week
- Stay Informed
- About this Publication
Progress Made
Sulphur Run Sediment Characterization Work Plan Approved
EPA approved a sampling plan to detail contamination in Sulphur Run. This plan covers sediment sampling north of the derailment site down to the confluence with Leslie Run. The plan is available in the documents section on EPA’s East Palestine website.
Pleasant St. and Martin St. Paved
Crews finished paving in the turnaround area located at the intersection of Pleasant Dr. and Martin St. This and other pavement projects are critical for controlling dust and mitigating erosion in active work areas.
Excavation of Car Scrapping Area 3 nears completion
Excavation at Car Scrapping Area 3 is ongoing and expected to be completed in the next one to two weeks.
Operations Update Informational Session
The Way Station and First United Presbyterian Church hosted another information session, with EPA providing a site operations update. EPA gave a presentation about ongoing work including excavating contaminated soil, air monitoring, and cleaning of impacted streams
turnaround at Pleasant St. and Martin St.
The Look Ahead
At the Site
Site Status Check
as of July 11
-
North Track: In operation
South Track: In operation -
Leslie Run: Stream monitoring is ongoing
Sulphur Run: Stream monitoring and washing is ongoing -
81,537 est. tons of solid waste shipped offsite
- Sampling of Car Scrapping Area 4 continues and preparations for excavation will follow.
- North Pleasant Dr. will be temporarily closed for the installation of additional sheet piling at Tank Farm 1, which is the area where the big blue lake tanks are located. This sheet piling will provide additional reinforcement of secondary containment around the tanks.
- Wastewater and contaminated soil will continue to be loaded and shipped off-site for disposal at EPA-approved facilities.
In the Greater Community
- Air monitoring continues, with 15 air monitoring locations that are checked daily and two roving air monitoring vehicles running daily.
- Additional sampling will begin in Sulphur Run per the Sulphur Run Sediment Characterization Work Plan.
- Daily sampling of water in Sulphur Run and Leslie Run is ongoing.
Community Corner
New Galilee Carnival: The annual New Galilee Carnival kicks off this Tuesday, July 25, at the New Galilee Community Event Center located at 606 Centennial Ave., New Galilee, Pennsylvania. Festivities include nightly bingo, live music, craft vendors, a parade, and an ice-cream eating contest. We’ll see you there! Visit the New Galilee Carnival webpage for more information.
Columbiana County Fair: From July 31 through August 6, attendees can enjoy food, family entertainment, animal exhibits, homemade crafts and fare, exhibits, and more! The county fairgrounds are at 225 Lee Ave. in Lisbon, Ohio. Stop by our table August 4 and 5! Visit the Columbiana County Fair webpage for more information.
Did you know?
Park Drive Bridge Replacement Work – Ohio DOT
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will be replacing the Park Drive bridge (originally built in 1940) over Leslie Run, located near the entrance to City Park. Work will include burying a
natural gas pipeline. Area residents may notice heavy equipment and road closures. This project is not affiliated with the derailment response, but air monitoring will occur as part of ongoing monitoring initiatives. For inquiries, please contact ODOT at [email protected] or call 330-308-7817. You can also contact Dominion Energy at [email protected] or call 800-362-7557.
Top 3 Questions of the Week
Safety Minute
Thunderstorms are a common occurrence in this area, but that does not mean they do not pose a safety risk. Lightning is a leading cause of injury and death from weather-related hazards.
Take an active role in your safety:
- Sign up for the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and listen to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Weather Radio for emergency alerts.
- Prepare your home by trimming or cutting down trees that may be in danger of falling on your home.
- Consider buying surge protectors, lightning rods, or a lightning protection system.
- Secure your outdoor furniture
Learn more about how to stay safe before, during, and after a thunderstorm by visiting Ready.gov, Thunderstorms & Lightning
When thunder roars, go indoors!
Announcement
EPA will have a table at the New Galilee Carnival on July 29 from 4 to 8 p.m. and a table at the Columbiana County Fair August 4 and 5 from 12 to 6 p.m. Information about the cleanup will be available as well as kids’ activities including a button-making station.
Stay Informed
EPA will be releasing weekly short videos call “This Week at E.P.” to share what work will be occurring on site in the upcoming week. You can find them on our website: East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment Videos
Follow the EPA Great Lakes Facebook and Twitter pages for social media updates on the ongoing cleanup and other EPA activities in your region.