On February 3, 2023, a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio located along the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania . This caused chemical fires and possible chemical releases into the Ohio River and required some residents to be evacuated in the immediate area of East Palestine, OH based on precautionary measures enacted by Ohio regulatory and governmental agencies.
The City of Danville would like to reassure customers that the impacts in the East Palestine, Ohio immediate region lie approximately 300 miles away, and are part of a different geographical watershed, on the opposite side of the Ohio River, than that of the City of Danville and it’s surrounding region.
It is important to keep in mind that, based on geographic location and elevation, the City of Danville sits near the outside edge of the Kentucky River Basin watershed at an increased elevation relative to the Ohio River Valley. Overland water flow generally migrates toward the interior of the watershed and travels to the north.
The raw water intake for the City of Danville’s drinking water system is located beneath the waters of Herrington Lake. Surface water travels along creeks and streams, as well as Hanging Fork Creek and Dix River, through Lake Herrington, and continues to the North via Kentucky River until it finally reaches the Ohio River in a downstream fashion. Therefore, the events in East Palestine, Ohio pose no threat to the City of Danville’s raw water intake system at Lake Herrington and thus no threat to the quality of drinking water for City of Danville Water Customers.
