Philadelphia Officials Monitor Water After Chemical Spill in Delaware River
AllSides Summary
Philadelphia officials said tap water remains safe to drink at least through Monday after notifying residents of a chemical spill this past weekend.
Details: Many Philadelphia residents stockpiled water bottles this weekend after the Philadelphia Water Department announced that it was monitoring a “spill of a latex product that occurred along a Delaware River tributary.” On Sunday, the Philadelphia Water Department tweeted that “based on updated hydraulic modeling and the latest sampling, we are confident tap water from the Baxter plant will remain safe to drink through 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 27.” City officials released a map indicating which parts of Philadelphia are potentially impacted by the spill. The water supply will reportedly be tested again when new water is allowed into the Baxter Water Treatment Plant. In preparation for a potential contamination, the Water Department is “working with partners to develop a water distribution plan,” but currently the water is “safe to drink and use for bathing, cooking, and washing.”
Cause of the Spill: The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the spill occurred at the Trinseo Altuglas facility in Bristol, upriver from the Baxter Water Treatment Plant in Philadelphia. Roughly 8,100 gallons of a latex emulsion solution spilled as a result of an “equipment failure,” according to a statement from Trinseo.
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum highlighted the panic buying of water that ensued following Saturday’s announcement, but emphasized that as of right now the threat of water contamination appeared to be low.
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From the Center
Philadelphia officials say water supply is safe after chemical spill
Philadelphia officials say the city’s water supply is safe after a chemical spill in a tributary of the Delaware River over the weekend.
The Philadelphia Water Department announced Sunday that it’s “now confident” tap water from the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant will remain safe to drink at least through 11:59 p.m. Monday.
“This updated time is based on the time it will take river water that entered the Baxter intakes early Sunday morning to move through treatment and water mains before reaching customers,” the department said.
More than 8,000...
From the Right
Philadelphia residents rush to stockpile bottled water: 'Water apocalypse 2023'
Philadelphia's residents rushed to their local grocery stores to stock up on bottled water after a Sunday advisory that residents drink bottled water as a result of a chemical spill.
Videos circulating on social media show bare-bone shelves as people loaded up their grocery carts with boxes of bottled water. Several others are seen filling their carts with single water bottles as well.
"Water apocalypse 2023… look at all this," one man said as he filmed inside a Philadelphia grocery store. "You know, there's water in Coca-Cola as well."
Another...
From the Left
Philly residents now advised tap water is safe through Monday night following chemical spill, officials say
After advising residents that they may want to switch to bottled water Sunday afternoon following a chemical spill into a Delaware River tributary — setting off a buying spree that emptied store shelves across the city — Philadelphia officials said the city’s tap water would be safe to drink at least through Monday night.
The advisory, which officials issued Sunday morning “out of an abundance of caution” in response to the release of chemicals from a processing plant in Bucks County, was updated later Sunday after officials said they found...
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