West Virginia (U.S.) chemical spill: more than 18.000 liters of MCHM leaked into the Elk River near Charleston

The Elk River chemical spill occurred on January 9, 2014 when crude 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) was released from a Freedom Industries facility into the Elk River, a tributary of the Kanawha River, in Charleston in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The MCHM, a chemical foam used to wash coal and remove impurities that contribute to pollution during combustion, leaked from the containment area and into the ground, through which it traveled into the Elk River.

The chemical spill occurred upstream from an West Virginia American Water intake and treatment and distribution center. Following the spill, up to 300,000 residents within nine counties in the Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area were without access to potable water. The areas affected were Boone, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, and Roane counties and the Culloden area of Cabell County.


As of January 10, the day following the chemical spill, at least eight lawsuits had been filed against the chemical company. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of Charleston area businesses forced to shutter during the resulting state of emergency and on behalf of all West Virginia American Water customers. The plaintiffs have asked to be granted class action status and are seeking punitive damages and compensation for lost profits during the state of emergency.

More information available at the source internet page: Wikipedia page "2014 Elk River chemical spill"