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That big factory fire story in Ohio last month missed the real point
The headlines all said 'chemical plant fire contained' and moved on. But I live two towns over, and the real story started three days later when the county quietly issued a 'do not consume' order for private wells within a five-mile radius. They found perchlorate levels at 15 parts per billion, way over the safe limit. The fire crews used so much water to put it out that it washed contaminants deep into the ground. Now a bunch of families are on bottled water with no clear end date. Has anyone else seen a local news story where the cleanup caused more problems than the initial event?
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pat_murray535d ago
Honestly, I gotta push back a little. The cleanup is a problem, sure, but the fire itself was the real disaster. Those chemicals were gonna get out one way or another, the water just moved it. I'd rather deal with a water advisory than have that whole plant burn for days, spewing who knows what into the air for everyone to breathe. The response was messy, but containing the immediate threat had to come first.
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wells.christopher1mo ago
Yeah, and it's like they're trying to fix a leak with a fire hose. @charles706 gets it, the cleanup just makes a new mess. My own tap water tastes fine, but now I'm side-eyeing it hard.
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charles7061mo ago
Totally get that. Saw something similar when a truck spilled road salt near a creek, and the salt they used to melt ice later killed off a bunch of fish. The fix is sometimes worse than the break. How long did they say your water would be bad?
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