Longtime East Palestine resident spots sheen in waterway ahead of Norfolk Southern's cleanup plan

Norfolk Southern aims to conclude the cleanup process in East Palestine, specifically targeting the water in parts of Leslie Run and Sulphur Run.

Last week, the railroad company submitted its final plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address any remaining contaminants related to the 2023 train derailment.

Experts have indicated that there are several factors the company needs to consider.

"One of the best things to look at to try and assess whether there was chemical contamination is actually the biological community that lives in those rivers and streams." David Costello Associate Professor of  Biogeochemistry at Kent State University told 21 News. 

Norfolk Southern stated that an assessment conducted last year showed the surface water posed no threat to humans.

However, in June of this year, longtime East Palestine resident Jami Wallace captured a photo of the water at Sulphur Run, which revealed an oily sheen on the surface. This has left her and other residents concerned about Norfolk Southern's plans.

"Norfolk southern has no duty to protect [us] and let's face it, they caused this. You know, you don't let someone who caused this clean it up. They have a reason to not do it correctly." Wallace said. 

Costello explained that the sheen on water can occur naturally or due to contamination; however, understanding the stream's contents is essential.

"An understanding of the chemicals and their properties is really important. And then after determining that, picking the right part of the river...to figure out where the contaminant would potentially be there." Costello.