Updates from East Palestine Response April 14, 2023 EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - Norfolk Southern continues to make progress cleaning up the derailment site and achieved a major milestone with completion of the cleanup and restoration of the south track that runs through the derailment site. The company began limited use of the south track on Friday, with rail cars running at slow speed on the rebuilt track. The company is also completing engineering work for the north track and will begin preparations to stop traffic on that side and remove the rails. This work is likely to start next week. Norfolk Southern and the Unified Command will continue to work closely as soil removal and remediation work gets underway on the north side track. Air sparging has been completed within Leslie Run and Sulphur Run at the East Palestine City Park. Air sparging is a common cleanup technique which involves putting air into the water so that oxygen and microbes break down chemicals. Next steps will include continued cleaning of the sediment in both streams. People should avoid recreating in the streams while this work continues. Norfolk Southern has changed the hours of operation for its Family Assistance Center at New Life Church in New Waterford, Ohio, and its 800-230-7049 assistance phone line. The new hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Both the FAC and assistance phone line will be closed on Sundays. Response By the Numbers (as of the morning of April 13, 2023) • 24,346 tons est. (+2,824 tons) of contaminated soil shipped • 11,885,221 gallons (+305,002 gallons) of liquid waste shipped to date • 630 indoor air screenings • 421 private well samples conducted • The Welcome Center has received 593 visitors What to expect this week Water is being pumped around the derailment site to prevent contamination from being carried downstream. Pumps near State Line Lake carry clean water past the derailment site to where it is pumped back into Sulphur Run. The pumping operation is also protecting the wetlands area near State Line La ke. The excavation of the south track is complete and soil waste is continuing to be shipped off-site for disposal. Now that the south track excavation is finished and the track is reconstructed, limited use of the track has begun. People can expect to see rail cars traveling on the south track. In addition, the excavation can begin on the north track. Planning is currently underway for the north track excavation. At the derailment site: • Continued heavy truck traffic along designated routes. • Taggart Street remains closed to the public. • Excavation work and backfilling on the south track will near completion. • Excavated soil and collected wastewater will continue to be shipped off-site. ------- In the greater community: • EPA's Community Welcome Center remains open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. EPA staff are available to answer questions and address concerns. • Underthe direction of EPA's unilateral orderto Norfolk Southern, additional soil sampling will take place next week in Pennsylvania. This sampling will include agricultural, residential, and state game areas. Air Quality Unified Command's top priority is the health and safety of the residents of Ohio and Pennsylvania whose lives have been impacted by the train derailment. The member organizations remain confident that the air quality there is safe, and that the health of residents continues to be protected. To date, 630 indoor air screenings have been conducted. Air monitoring continues 24/7 at 23 stations throughout the community. No detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride have been identified. During the soil removal at the derailment site, EPA and contractors are conducting air monitoring within the work zone and throughout the surrounding community. This includes continuous air monitoring and sampling at the site and throughout the community. Soil Removal at the Derailment Site Work at the site includes removing tracks in sections and removing soil and placing it in a staging area for disposal. Soil removal is completed at the south track rail area; planning forthe north track rail removal is underway. During the soil removal process, Norfolk Southern, with EPA oversight, will conduct soil sampling beneath the excavated rail track. Liquid Waste Removal Wastewater is collected to ensure water does not leave the derailment site or staging piles of contaminated soil. Wastewater is generated after rain falls on contaminated soil and is collected and from cleaning and washing trucks before they leave site. Soil Sampling EPA has reviewed preliminary data from some of the soil sampling related to the controlled burn that occurred during response actions to the train derailment in East Palestine. While final results will be available in the coming weeks, EPA's review of the preliminary data indicates levels of semi-volatile organic chemicals and dioxins in the samples are similarto typical background levels. EPA and Norfolk Southern contractors continue to take soil samples at agricultural, commercial, recreational, and residential properties in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. To date, 147 properties have been sampled. This soil sampling effort will help identify if contaminants, including SVOCs and dioxins, are present and may have been caused by the train derailment. ### ------- |