Norfolk Southern Railway Corp. will offer residential pH water
sampling in the Cameron County area affected by the June 30 train
derailment.
The samplings which will be conducted by the Center for
Toxicology and Environmental Health during the week of Aug. 21.
Personnel from CTEH, based in Little Rock, Ark., tested the pH
levels of the Portage branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek one day
after cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed, spilling about
48,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide into the creek near the village
of Gardeau in southern McKean County.
This sampling will include homes that were previously sampled in
the weeks following the train accident, as well as those requesting
samplings at their homes. In those neighborhoods where water
sampling is being conducted, additional efforts will be made to go
door-to-door to residences where testing was not previously
done.
The home sampling schedule will be as follows:
Aug. 21
– 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Derailment site south along Gardeau Road to
Gardeau Township
– 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Gardeau Township south to Gardeau Road and
Highway 155 intersection Aug. 22
– 7 a. m. – 1 p.m.: Gardeau Road and Highway 155 intersection
south to Portage Road and Highway 155 intersection
– 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Portage Road and Highway 155 intersection
south to Four Mile Road and Highway 155 intersection
Aug. 23
– 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Four Mile Road and Highway 155 intersection
south to Salt Run Road and Highway 155 intersection
– 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Salt Run Road and Highway 155 intersection
south into Emporium Borough limits August 24
– 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.: South of Emporium Borough limits to Sterling
Run
– 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Sterling Run south to Sinnemahoning
Aug. 25
– 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Meet with scheduled residents.
Residents who are unavailable during these scheduled times and
wish to have their water tested may call the CTEH Help desk at
1-866-869-2834 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Time
on Aug. 14-17. A scheduling coordinator will assist those residents
with rescheduling the sampling at their homes.
Two CTEH environmental scientists will visit each resident’s
home. When possible, the same water source – water well, kitchen
tap, or hose spigot – will be tested as in the previous sampling.
Otherwise, an alternative water source at the residence will be
tested.
In those cases where water at a residence is being sampled for
the first time, CTEH’s representatives will sample the kitchen tap
if possible.
If a resident prefers not to allow the scientists into their
home, an outside well water source will be sampled with the
resident’s permission.
Water will be run for about one minute or as necessary to ensure
the water sampled is from the well and not residing in the plumbing
system.
The testing will be done by placing a pH probe in the water
source for the required time it takes for the result to stabilize.
In order to ensure precise and accurate measurements are recorded,
the test will be repeated.
All results will be recorded on residential sampling forms along
with the sampling date, time, parameter, instruments used, units,
sample location, comments, and analyst’s initials. They will be
available to the residents at the time of the testing.
