Officials out of Philadelphia are warning the area locals against partaking in the town’s tap water in the wake of a chemical spill that took place in close-by Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
A statement from the Philadelphia Water Department explained that the group is monitoring the recent release of a latex product into a Delaware River tributary that took place late Friday out near the Bristol Township. Authorities sent out a full-scale public safety alert this past Sunday evening to the resident of the city stating that the city of Philadelphia now urges everyone to drink bottled water until further notice from the city.
As of this past Sunday morning, local officials have stated that contaminants had not yet been discovered in the water system for the city and spoke out to reassure the populace that they should harbor no concerns about fire hazards or skin exposure.
“Bathing and washing dishes do not present a concern. Likewise, we have no concern over inhaling fumes at the levels we are evaluating,” explained the deputy managing director for Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability Michael Carroll.
Still, officials have been encouraging the population to use bottled water as a precaution.
“Because we cannot be 100 percent sure that there won’t be traces of these chemicals in the tap water throughout the afternoon, we want the public to be aware so that people can consider switching to bottled water to further minimize any risk,” stated Carroll. “Therefore, we are notifying the public in the customer service area that they may wish not to drink or cook with tap water.”
Over the course of a few hours, a number of social media posts sprang up showing store shelves having been picked clean of every kind of bottled water.
NO bottles of water left right now at Giant, after @PhiladelphiaGov said it is recommending residents use bottled water for drinking or cooking until further notice. More than 8,000 gallons of hazardous material spilled in a Bucks County creek near the Delaware River @6abc pic.twitter.com/uGiTM4xN4J
— Christie Ileto (@Christie_Ileto) March 26, 2023
Officials have put the blame on a pipe rupture at TRinseo PLC, a chemical plant, for the release of what is thought to be 8,100 to 12,000 gallons of a latex finishing chemical, which is a water-soluble acrylic polymer solution, directly into Otter Creek, a known tributary of the Delaware River, as reported by WPVI, a local affiliate for ABC.
