DeWine says ‘no contamination’ from derailment found in East Palestine drinking water

EAST PALESTINE — New water testing results have found no detection of contaminates in the wells that feed into East Palestine’s municipal water system.

DeWine announced in a release that test results from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency of all five wells that lead into the municipal water system show no detection of contaminants associated with the derailment.

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“With these tests results, Ohio EPA is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink,” the release states.

East Palestine’s municipal water system, which provides drinking water for most people in the area, takes in water from the five wells that are located approximately one mile from the derailment site.

The wells are at least 56 feet below the surface and covered by solid steel casing to protect water from contamination.

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The EPA recommended those who receive drinking water from private water wells to schedule an appointment for well water testing, as they may be closer to the surface than municipal water wells.

The Ohio Department of Health encourages those with private wells to use bottled water until their well water testing results are returned.

More information on the environmental impacts of the East Palestine train derailment can be found here.