A look back: 2014 chemical leak left 300,000 West Virginians without clean water

Shortly before noon, investigators from both agencies arrived at the Freedom Industries tank farm, perched on a bench of land just off Barlow Drive fronting the Elk River shoreline. There, they discovered that a leak from the bottom of one of Freedom’s 40,000-gallon storage tanks was allowing a clear, thick liquid to flow into a concrete block containment dike ringing the tank, from which another leak was allowing the substance to stream into the Elk.

The substance was later determined to be a blend of methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) and a mixture of glycol ethers called PPH, both used in the coal-cleaning process. At the time of the spill, toxicological information about the chemical cocktail was limited and its effects on human health were virtually unknown.

While it was initially believed that between 1,000 and 5,000 gallons of the liquid entered the river, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board later determined that nearly 11,000 gallons of the chemical brew entered the Elk.

Much of the contaminated water made its way to the intake structure for West Virginia American Water, about 1 mile downstream from the leak, overwhelming its filtration system within a matter of hours.

Who was affected?

Then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced a state of emergency, cautioning West Virginia American customers not to use their tap water for anything other than flushing toilets until further notice in the following counties:

• Boone
• Cabell
• Clay
• Jackson
• Lincoln
• Logan
• Kanawha
• Putnam
• Roane

“Nobody really knows how dangerous it could be,” Tomblin said of the contaminated water during a 6 p.m. address that Thursday about the water crisis. “However, it is in the system, so please don’t drink, don’t wash with, don’t do anything with the water.”

The governor’s announcement set off a frenzy of bottled water buying across the region, emptying shelves in supermarkets and convenience stores of drinking water stockpiles in a matter of hours.

The lack of clean water for drinking, cooking and cleaning purposes led to extended closings of schools, restaurants, hotels and other businesses.

The West Virginia National Guard brought in stockpiles of bottled water by plane and truck, and hauled tanks of potable water to distribution sites across the region.

Long-term effects

In all, more than 300,000 West Virginians — 16% of the state’s population — were left without clean water. For some, a drive of 50 miles or more was required to wash clothes, shower or dine at a restaurant.

Some schools remained closed for more than three weeks. Some businesses closed by the water crisis never reopened.

Plumbing system flushing, recommended by health officials to purge contaminated tap water from homes, left many residents exposed to chemical vapors emitted through the process.

In the two-week period following the leak, 369 people visited emergency rooms at 10 hospitals for medical complaints including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and skin rashes, suspected to have been caused by exposure to the chemically contaminated water.

For those affected by the water crisis, it took time for their confidence in their drinking water supply to return. Shortly after the do-not-drink order for the water system was lifted at the end of January 2014, a survey by the state Bureau of Public Health and the state indicated that only 36.1% of households polled felt their tap water was safe to drink.

A Marshall University study said the water crisis cost the state an estimated $61 million for the month of January alone.