Government Sues Norfolk Southern, Seeks Facilities To Treat Derailment Wastewater
Following a detrimental train derailment in Ohio earlier this year, and subsequent drinking water contamination and toxic wastewater disposal issues, the government is now suing the responsible corporation.
“The federal government filed a lawsuit … against Norfolk Southern, blaming the freight carrier for last month’s train derailment that allegedly contaminated waterways and air in northeast Ohio,” NBC News reported. “The U.S. Department of Justice, acting on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, filed the civil complaint two weeks after the state of Ohio also took similar action against the rail giant.”
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, which saw 11 cars carrying toxic chemicals derail, local consumers had reason to fear that their drinking water was contaminated. And the resulting millions of gallons of toxic wastewater has posed a major treatment and disposal challenge.
Now, the threat that this incident has posed to source water is a particular focus of the new lawsuit.
“Federal authorities want a court to hold Norfolk Southern ‘accountable for unlawfully polluting the nation’s waterways and to ensure it pays the full cost of environmental cleanup,’ according to the complaint,” per NBC News. “The Department of Justice cited multiple, alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in seeking fines against Norfolk Southern.”
Meanwhile, disposal of the wastewater has been a source of contention as well. As officials seek facilities capable of properly treating it, their request was recently denied in Baltimore.
“Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott denied a request from a contractor to dump pretreated wastewater from the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this year, citing public health concerns,” according to The Hill. “Clean Harbors, a waste management company, planned to bring at least 675,000 gallons of wastewater from East Palestine to the city-run Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. But Scott and other local leaders balked at the plan.”
As federal and state officials work to hold Norfolk Southern financially responsible for the environmental damage caused by this derailment, it seems that a route for recovery from the wastewater consequences is still to be determined.
To read more about how wastewater facilities process influent, visit Water Online’s Wastewater Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.