I am writing today to address the concerns conveyed to my office as it relates to the East Palestine train derailment and the I. Schumann incident in Oakwood. Residents have specifically asked about the safety of our tap water and potential toxins released into the air from the explosion in Oakwood.
The train that derailed likely traveled through Macedonia on its way to East Palestine. We have reached out to Norfolk Southern to get confirmation but have not received a response yet. I can assure you we have been trained in emergencies involving the railway and would respond quickly if, God forbid, an emergency occurred. We also contacted Cleveland Water to inquire about the water they provide for us, and they did confirm it is sate in the following statement:
“Our water is completely safe for a couple reasons. First and foremost, we get our water from Lake Erie which is a completely separate watershed from where the derailment happened in the Ohio River watershed. We have found a surprising number of customers don’t realize that this means the water from that area actually ends up in the Mississippi River and then the Gulf of Mexico. Second, since we use a surface water source, we are treating the raw water from Lake Erie to remove all kinds of contaminants, not just the ones that are part of the cast Palestine derailment.”
Regarding the I. Schumann plant explosion, air quality was monitored by the City’s Fire Department and determined that we are safe. During the event, City personnel quickly responded to reports of haze in the air on the north side of town, and found it to be inconsequential with no readings of concern. The City’s Fire Department has six Fire Medics that are part of the Summit County Hazardous Material Response Team, and are trained at a HazMat-technician level. This essentially means they are trained and equipped to deal with these types of emergences. In addition, we have the full backing of the Summit County HazMat Response Team to assist.
I want every resident to know that your safety is paramount and my top priority. We will monitor every situation and communicate as much information as we can. Please contact my office if you have any questions whether now or in the future.
-Mayor Nick Molnar
Click here to read about Company Pledges Cooperation In ‘Catastrophic’ Explosion Which Killed 1
