East Palestine, OH Train Derailment

Aqua Update on our Water Quality and Testing, following the East Palestine, OH Derailment

February 22, 2023

The safety and well-being of our customers, employees and communities guides everything we do. While the source water we use for customer drinking water and service is not connected to the water body where the East Palestine derailment occurred, Aqua proactively increased our own laboratory testing for the specific known chemicals that were released into the environment. The following is an update on our testing:

• We’re proactively analyzing samples of the water for more than 60 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
• To date, we have not detected any VOCs related to the chemicals listed in the train derailment
• Our analysis specifically includes testing for vinyl chloride and benzene
• We’ve also conducted preliminary scans at the lab using a gas chromatograph/mass spectrophotometer (GC/MS). The GC/MS also did not observe any additional VOCs

Our experts will continue to:

• Closely monitor the situation, while coordinating with state and federal agencies
• Use the latest science and information to guide and adjust our testing, if/as needed
• Provide updates if there are any important changes

Here is your resource center to learn about Aqua’s response to the East Palestine train derailment.

February 16, 2023:

The safety and well-being of our customers, employees and communities is paramount. The following is an update on the steps Aqua has taken to date to address the situation in East Palestine, out of an abundance of caution:

• First, Aqua does not provide water service to the immediately affected area, and the watershed where the derailment occurred is not connected to our drinking water source.
• We proactively increased our own laboratory testing at our state-certified lab for the specific known chemicals and their reagents that were released into the environment – including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and isobutylene.
• There have been no issues to date.
• We are in regular contact with representatives from the Ohio EPA, US EPA and PA DEP.

Our experts are closely monitoring the situation, and we’ll continue to provide updates with important changes. 

As of today, none of Aqua’s water systems have been impacted by the train derailment.

First it is important to note, the source water we use for your drinking water and service is not connected to the water body where the derailment occurred.

However, out of an abundance of caution, we proactively increased our own laboratory testing at our state-certified lab for the specific known chemicals that were released into the environment.

Our experts are closely monitoring the situation, and we’ll continue to provide regular updates here and notify you if there are any important changes. 

As mentioned above, the source water we use for your drinking water is not connected to the water body where the derailment occurred. With that said, we are taking a number of steps out of an abundance of caution:

• We proactively increased our own laboratory testing for the specific known chemicals that were released into the environment.
• As of today, there has been no detection of chemicals related to the train derailment in our test results.
• We are in regular contact with representatives from the Ohio EPA, US EPA and PA DEP.
• The safety and well-being of our customers, is paramount, and our experts are closely monitoring the situation.
• We’ll continue to provide regular updates on our website and notify you if there are any important changes. 

Struthers Division, OH (customers served in Mahoning County, OH and in Mahoning Township, PA, located in Lawrence County): Your water comes from Evans Lake, located in Springfield Township, and it is treated at our plant in Poland Township.

Lake Tomahawk, OH (in Columbiana County): Your water comes from groundwater wells, which are deep below the surface and draw from an aquifer east of the Lake and protected by layers of bedrock.  Water from the wells is treated at our plant near the wells.

Shenango Division, PA (in Mercer County): The source of water supply is the Shenango River, which is fed by a 650-square mile watershed located north of Sharon, Pennsylvania.

Lawrence County, Ohio (Southern Ohio, along the Ohio River): Intakes water from the Ohio River and the Guyandotte River and is treated at a plant in Huntington, WV. Note the water system in Huntington, WV is actively managing source water and treatment.

Our experts are closely monitoring the situation. We will continue to provide regular updates here. And we will notify you if there are any important changes.