Explainer: The Philadelphia Chemical Spill Incident and Ensuring Water Safety
A chemical spill in the Delaware River led to concerns about contamination of the water supply for half of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Water Department meticulously monitored the situation, tested the water supply frequently, and determined no contamination.
A chemical spill into a tributary of the Delaware River occurred at a plant for the company Trinseo. The water was contaminated with butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate. However, the Philadelphia Water Department soon announced that the water from the Delaware River was safe to consume. Please see below for a timeline of the events.
Friday, March 24th: The Delaware Valley Early Warning System warned the Philadelphia Water Department of a latex product spill into a tributary of the Delaware River in Bristol Township, Bucks County.
Sunday, March 26th: The City of Philadelphia held a press conference and released a map of potentially affected areas. They emphasized that the health risks of this spill are minimal. However, since they could not guarantee that there will not be chemicals in the water, they are notifying the public in case individuals do not wish to use tap water.
At 2 pm on the same day, they announced that tap water would be safe to drink until midnight on Monday, March 27th, due to the time it takes river water to reach the tap systems.
Monday, March 27th: The City of Philadelphia extended the date and time for water safety until 3:30 pm on Tuesday, March 28th.
Tuesday March 28th: The City of Philadelphia determined that “Philadelphia’s drinking water will not be impacted by the spill in Bucks County.”
When a chemical spill occurs, you cannot simply boil water to clean it. Boiling water works to remove bacteria or viruses. However, it has no impact on chemicals. Additionally, water filters like Brita may not have tested for the specific chemicals involved in the spill. Therefore, there may be uncertainty surrounding their efficiency in filtering water from a chemical spill.
In such situations where the guidance constantly changes, residents must stay informed and adapt to changing guidance to keep themselves safe.
Follow your local government on social media and local news outlets to stay informed of changes and events in your community.
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Reference and Further Reading.
Sarah Gantz and Abraham Gutman. Philadelphia Inquirer. Can a Brita filter or boiling water help following the Delaware River chemical spill?
Celina Tebor, Susannah Cullinane, Dakin Andone and Danny Freeman. CNN. Philadelphia residents panic-bought water after being alerted to a chemical spill but officials say tap water is safe for now
Philadelphia Water Department. City Declares Philadelphia’s Drinking Water is Safe.
