Tap water fix in West Virginia still days away, official says
Tap water in Charleston, West Virginia, and nearby communities will remain unsafe in the coming days, an official said on Saturday as residents spent a third day unable to bathe, shower or drink from the faucet due to a chemical spill tainting the Elk River.
As much as 5,000 gallons (18,927 liters) of industrial chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, or Crude MCHM, leaked into the river on Thursday, state officials said.
The spill came from a tank belonging to Freedom Industries, a Charleston company that produces specialty chemicals for the mining, steel and cement industries, authorities said.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin on Friday declared a state of emergency for nine counties, with the affected area including Charleston, the state's largest city and its capital. President Barack Obama has issued an emergency declaration.
"Our teams are out and we have employees that have worked this (water) system that are extremely knowledgeable. (They are) out collecting samples and looking at flushing activities at this time," Jeff McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water Co, told reporters on Saturday.
"But we are talking days" before water quality meets federally mandated quality standards, said McIntyre, whose company runs the state's largest water treatment plant.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/12/us-usa-westvirginia-spill-idUSBREA0902T20140112
If they are publicly "talking days," you can expect weeks.
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