Federal, state, and local officials hold a second press event on the East Palestine Ohio train derailment repair work.

East Palestine, Ohio (WKBN) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency hosted its second emergency press conference this weekend. February 3 East Palestinian railway derailment aftermath.

Debra Shore, Region 5 administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced that the EPA has found an EPA-certified facility that can receive some of the waste removed from the derailment site.

“We have a duty to the residents of Eastern Palestine and neighboring communities to move waste out of their communities as quickly as possible, and that is exactly what we are trying to do,” Shore said.

Liquid waste is transported to the Vickery environment in Vickery, Ohio and discharged underground via injection wells. Solid waste is transported to Heritage Thermal Services in Liverpool, East Ohio.

To date, approximately 1.8 million gallons of liquid waste and 4,832 cubic yards of solid waste have been collected.

Shore reminded the public that the EPA and the Department of Transportation closely manage and monitor the waste disposal process. Norfolk Southern must comply with all labeling, packaging, shipping and disposal requirements for materials removed from derailment sites.

“These broad requirements cover everything from waste labeling to packaging and handling, and also cover requirements for shipping documents that provide information about the waste and its destination,” Shore said. says.

The US EPA is working with Norfolk Southern to find more waste disposal sites.

Ohio EPA Director Ann Vogel announced that all but 11 vehicles have been removed from the derailment site while the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. This means that the installation of pollutant monitoring wells along the railway will soon follow.

Up to three wells will be drilled to determine if the groundwater beneath the derailment site is contaminated, and a total of three wells will be drilled after the soil beneath the rails has been completely excavated, according to a statement by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. 10 wells are planned. Wells help us to more fully understand the direction and flow of groundwater in an area.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 5 Administrator Thomas Sivak said residents of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, will also be included in the government’s distribution of resources.

“Over the next few days, our combined coordination group will continue to step up our efforts across affected communities,” Sivak said.

Sivak said on Saturday, his agency had 49 people “on the ground” to answer questions, address concerns and provide information leaflets to the community. He reported having more than 350 interactions with individuals during the day.

“I want to be clear, all disasters are different,” said Shivak. “We want to hear from affected residents. We want to hear your concerns, needs and concerns, and we will work with you to provide the assistance you need.”

Officials have provided an update on the testing. Shore said the EPA does not currently test for the presence of dioxins in the air. This is because in East Palestine there are no baseline measurements of typical levels before train derailments.

Vogel said 126 private wells have been tested so far, with more to follow.The test result is Columbiana County Health District website.

More areas with the capacity to handle solid and liquid waste volumes are under investigation, Shore said.

presser on saturday announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked Norfolk Southern to temporarily stop transporting waste from the derailment site. The railroad company was entirely responsible for the disposal of waste wood. Currently, disposal sites and methods of transporting pollutants are subject to review by the Federal EPA.

A new information hotline is now available through EPA and can be contacted at 866-361-0526. The hotline is intended to answer residents’ questions regarding water, soil and air quality testing.

Business owners in Eastern Palestine can contact the Ohio Development Agency (businesshelp@development.Ohio.gov) for resources if they have any concerns or questions.

For the time being, there will be a presser at 4pm daily.