Longview staff warn of suspected contaminated drainage ditches from Nippon spill
Officials say the city of Longview's potable water is safe after a major chemical spill, but if people or their pets enter suspected-contaminated drainage ditches behind their homes, they should see a doctor.
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Longview's Public Works Director Chris Collins said during Thursday's press conference outside Nippon pulp and paper mill that "a large number" of these drainage ditches run through people's backyards.
If people or their pets go into the contaminated waterways, he advised to "wash off as quick as possible," then "seek medical attention."
"Keep away from the water, don't let your pet swim in it until we give the go-ahead, which we hope to do soon," Collins said.
Runoff from the Tuesday chemical spill at the mill on Industrial Way is likely to have contaminated certain local drainage ditches.
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The ditches to avoid run west from the Cowlitz River near Fishers Lane, along Ocean Beach Highway, south along the east side of Lake Sacajawea, along Oregon Way and west along Industrial Way to an outlet in the Columbia River.
City of Longview spokesperson Angela Abel told The Daily News that Lake Sacajawea is completely isolated and not affected by the chemical runoff.
Longview drainage ditches to avoid after Nippon chemical spill
Chemical runoff from an accident at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. may have contaminated water, officials say.
Drainage map
City water plant has safeguards
Officials said it was a shift change when the tank failed around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Investigators have not yet determined what caused the deadly chemical spill - or even whether the tank's failure was an implosion or an explosion.
A major initial concern was that the spill was near a well that supplies the city's drinking water.
Collins said that crews "were successfully able to divert all of the contaminated water away from our wellhead protection area."
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He added that Longview's water system has multiple layers of protection and that city wells are drawn from an aquifer roughly 200 feet below the surface.
"The water that you were drinking before this incident is the same water you're drinking today," Collins said.
He added that the water plant serving roughly 65,000 people, including the Beacon Hill Water District, has further safeguards.
"Our plant is extremely complex, but is extremely safe, and there are built-in redundancies that the plant will shut down way before any contaminants could enter into the public drinking water system," Collins said.
Highlands residents see lower water pressure after Nippon chemical spill
If contaminated water somehow entered the city's water system, the plant would automatically shut off, leaders report.
Safe to fish, swim in Columbia River
Brooks Stanfield, an on-scene coordinator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said staff is working with the Washington State Department of Ecology to dilute and divert contaminated water in the affected drainage ditches.
Federal and state environmental agencies are working to use water from the Cowlitz River to dilute contaminated water in those ditches, ensuring that water discharged to the Columbia has normal pH levels.
He added that the EPA is "taking this threat seriously."
"As we push it to the west, we are monitoring the pH of that water to make sure that any water that does get discharge to the Columbia River is in compliance with basically neutral water standards," Stanfield said.
The agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology are monitoring the alkalinity levels of water entering the Columbia River at two discharge points, which, as of the latest report, showed one with a neutral pH of 7.0 and another showing an alkaline level of 8.5.
Crews dilute, flush tainted water from Nippon spill into Columbia
The longer the chemicals stay in the ditches along Industrial Way, the more likely they are to seep into the aquifer underneath. However, officials say the city's water supply is currently safe.
"If we hit a pH of 9, we have some additional strategies we can employ to bring that pH down," Stanfield said.
The tank that spilled Tuesday morning contained a caustic papermaking liquid known as "white liquor" - a blend of chemicals used to separate cellulose fibers from wood pulp.
The white liquor mixed with fire suppression water and entered the Columbia River in the first hour of the incident, Tuesday morning, after entering from the drainage system into the diking system, Stanfield said. Exact amounts are still under investigation.
Still, Stanfield assured that the water is safe for recreation.
"It is safe to swim and fish in the Columbia River right now," Brooks said. "There are no warnings or advisories."
Officials say there have been no reports of wildlife in the Columbia River affected by the spill. People can report such wildlife concerns to 1-800-22-BIRDS by leaving a detailed message with date, time and location.
County officials say Willow Grove Park, which sits on the Columbia River, has not been affected by the spill. However, they advise extreme caution if people enter the river, as circumstances are evolving, and conditions are regularly evaluated.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include more current information.
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