Ohio Governor Says Municipal Water in East Palestine Safe to Drink After Train Derailment

Impact on surface and groundwater is being assessed, says EPA

An environmental company is removing dead fish downstream from the site of the train derailment that forced people to be evacuated from their homes in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 6, 2023. Alan Freed/Reuters

Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine said on Wednesday that water in East Palestine’s municipal system is safe to drink nearly two weeks after a train derailed, leaking toxic chemicals into the environment.

DeWine said that new water testing results showed “no detection of contaminants in East Palestine’s municipal water system." As a result, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency “is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink,” DeWine said on Twitter.