The human right to clean water is being violated as nine West Virginia counties have been placed on a water ban Friday and the federal government joined West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin in declaring a state of emergency after an oil and gas disaster, a chemical spill on a major river. Schools are closing due to the emergency.
A new chemical spill has caused authorities to issue a water ban in nine counties that could affect an estimated 100,000 residents.
The emergency and accompanying ban were issued after a toxic chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol used to process coal, leaked from a tank at a Freedom Industries plant in the capital city Charleston and spilled into Elk River.
The full extent of the spill remains unknown, but it is known that it has impacted more than 100000 homes and businesses.
“Until we get out and flush the actual system and do more testing, we can’t say how long this [advisory] will last,” West Virginia American Water president Jeff McIntyre told the Associated Press.
Counties affected by the spill include Kanawha, Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam and Roane.
Schools are closing in at least five counties.
The state of emergency comes on the heels of West Virginia's fracking accident last week, prompting the government to halt operations of Jay-Bee Oil and Gas Company.
It is also accompanied with mysterious invisible explosion booms frightening Virginians across an entire region.