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While officials told residents of East Palestine, Ohio, that their water is safe to drink after a freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed earlier in the month, there are still concerns that the chemicals have seeped into the groundwater near the site of the crash.
Officials said that four tributaries within a 7.5-mile radius of the crash site were contaminated with fire contaminant combustion materials. However, they noted that the municipal water supply should be free of contaminants.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's office said that tests found no evidence "of contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine's municipal water system" and assured residents it was safe to drink tap water again. The statement did advise residents who live near the crash site and use private wells to continue using bottled water.
U.S. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio wanted to see for himself how safe the water was and went out into the woods near the crash site. As he was standing near a stream, Vance dragged a stick along the bottom of the water, causing it to bubble as an oily sheen formed on the surface.
"You can just see that chemical pop out of the creek," Vance said in a video posted on Twitter. "This is disgusting."