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UPDATE: MCHM No Longer Dectectable In Kanawha County Water
By: WOUB Contributing Writer
Posted on:
Water sampling test results from a slurry spill in Kanawha County this week show non-detect levels of MCHM, according to the West Virginia Department of Enviornmental Protection.
WSAZ reports the spill happened Tuesday at Patriot Coal’s Kanawha Eagle Prep Plant near Winifrede.
The DEP says the spill impacted roughly six miles of Fields Creek, which empties into the Kanawha River near Chesapeake.
Samples were collected on Tuesday at five locations by inspectors from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Mining and Reclamation.
Three samples were taken from Fields Creek and two were taken from the Kanawha River.
According to the DEP, all five samples tested below the reporting limit of 5 micrograms per liter, or 5 parts per billion (ppb). Five parts per billion equals .005 parts per million (ppm). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a screening level of 1 ppm for drinking water.
The company estimates that approximately 108,000 gallons of slurry spilled from a faulty slurry pipeline sometime between 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday.