Water Valves Closed as Slick Reaches Town
- Share via
SISTERSVILLE, W.Va. — Workers closed this town’s Ohio River water intake valves Wednesday night as an oil slick began moving through, officials said.
Earlier in the day, workers had filled three barges with a million gallons each of unpolluted Ohio River water to fortify an emergency supply.
The slick was two miles upstream from Sistersville, a town of 2,200 residents, when the workers shut the intake valves shortly before 8 p.m., said Mitch Wilcox, director of emergency services for Tyler County. He said the valves could remain closed for up to a week.
The smelly slick has traveled more than 140 miles down the Monongahela and Ohio rivers since an Ashland Oil Inc. storage tank ruptured Jan. 2 near Pittsburgh.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
