Wayne County Water Update - Additional Laboratory Testing Results Received Following Wayne Substation Spill

West Virginia Department of Health Press Release:

Additional preliminary laboratory results have been received based on samples collected by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Town of Wayne following the vandalism and transformer oil release at Appalachian Power’s East Lynn substation.

These results indicate the presence of hydrocarbons in the Town of Wayne’s treated water, similar to previous samples collected by the town. Please see the included table along with an EPA explanation of those results. The Department of Health (DH) and Town of Wayne expect additional testing results to be available in the coming days.

Additionally, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has collected samples directly from Camp Creek and Twelvepole Creek as part of ongoing cleanup efforts. Please see the included summary of WVDEP’s results.

The Town of Wayne continues to flush its water system as weather conditions allow. DH encourages residents to continue following the ‘Do Not Consume’ order which was issued by the Town of Wayne on January 16. Those precautions include forgoing the use of the water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, hand washing, or bathing. Following these directives will prevent exposure to any potential contaminants.

Water distribution sites for the Town of Wayne are as follows:

*Please note that distribution hours for Saturday, January 24, and Sunday, January 25, are subject to change depending on weather conditions. Early closures will be announced through the Town of Wayne’s social media and cell phone alert system. People may register for cell phone alerts by texting WENS to 78015.

Shower and Laundry services are as follows:

EPA’s Summary:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) water samples were collected and analyzed for total petroleum hydrocarbons. Testing methods were focused on the types of hydrocarbon ranges expected to be present in the mineral oil that was spilled. These ranges, represented as C10-C20, C10-C28, etc., were selected based on the chemical properties of the mineral oil. Heavier oils will have longer carbon chains (C28-C40) while lighter oils will be shorter carbon chains (C10-C20).    

The surface water sample at the first collection point included raw product from the spill. Higher results are expected since the oil is visible.

The treated water had a detection of .42 mg/L in the C28-C40 range. This detection will prompt further investigation and sampling.  

All other samples were non-detect for these compounds.  

WVDEP’s In-Stream Sampling Summary:

These samples were taken in areas where released material has been visible, so it is expected that petroleum-related substances would be detected. The samples were analyzed for general petroleum indicators commonly used to understand the presence of oil-based materials in surface waters.

Some sampling locations showed no detectable petroleum-related material, while detections at other locations ranged from 0.082 to 2.3 milligrams per liter for lighter oil-related compounds, 0.056 to 0.067 milligrams per liter for heavier oil-related compounds, and 1.9 to 3.8 milligrams per liter for overall oil and grease, depending on proximity to impacted areas. Detecting these levels while visible material remains in the stream is expected and indicates that containment and recovery measures are effectively limiting downstream movement, allowing oil-related material to be captured and removed rather than spreading further through the watershed.

The purpose of this stream sampling is not to evaluate drinking water, but to establish baseline conditions within affected waterways so WVDEP can confirm, through follow-up sampling, that oil-related material is decreasing and has been removed as cleanup progresses. This sampling will continue through the duration of the cleanup.