Water restrictions lifted on day five of W.Va. chemical spill

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/195255-water-restrictions-lifted-on-day-five-of-wva-chemical-spill

By Laura Barron-Lopez
Jan. 13, 2014

After a one-inch hole leaked roughly 7,500 gallons of a chemical from an industrial facility along West Virginia's Elk River last week, about 15 percent of the state's population was left without clean tap water.

Five days later, West Virginia American Water said Monday afternoon that they are finalizing the "Do Not Use" lift process.

Untainted water is starting to flow through pipelines in the Charleston area -- high-need areas like hospitals and nursing homes are getting water first, USA Today reports.

But the spill, which cut off water to over 300,000 people, is raising questions over the state's long known problems of regulating coal and chemical companies, The New York Times reported on Monday.

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Lawmakers have not explained why the storage facility was allowed to be built on the river, close to the largest water treatment plant in the state.

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