The Northern Kentucky Water District announced that they reopened water intake valves along the Ohio River Monday afternoon.
The water district shut down its intakes as a precautionary measure at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19. This was ahead of any trace of chemicals passing downstream by the intake valves from the train derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio.
Samples collected upstream from the intake on Sunday morning found a compound called 2-Ethyl-1-hexanol, commonly used in industrial applications, including flavorings and fragrances. The water district said no traces of 2-Ethyl-1-hexanol have been detected since then.
In the update, they also said that after extensive sampling of river water Sunday through Monday morning, there had been no detections of butyl acrylate. Thus, they have determined it is safe to reopen the water intake.
They noted that no river water entered the water plant throughout the sampling period. The water district also has a treatment process involving powdered activated carbon and granular activated carbon that serves as a protective treatment barrier.